Nutrition &
Digestion
Objectives: Define and
Comprehend
Food processing
Human digestion
Know words on term list (available on web
site)
Nutrition
3 needs
Chemical energy
Vitamins and minerals
Food Processing
Food Processing
Most food consists of what
macromolecules?
Carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins
Why is food chemically broken down?
The macromolecules are too large to pass
through cell membranes
The polymers must be broken down into
monomers, so that the organism can make
their own polymers
Human Digestion System
Human Digestion: Oral
Cavity
At sight or smell of food, salivary glands
secrete saliva
Glycoprotein protects & lubricates lining of
mouth
Antibacterial agents
Amylase to hydrolyze starch
Why do you chew your food?
Easier to swallow
Expose more surface area to enzymes
Tongue pushes bolus to back of oral cavity
& into pharynx
Human Digestion: the
epiglottis
How does the epiglottis prevent food from
moving into the trachea?
Human Digestion: into the
esophagus
Human Digestion: the tum
tum
Human Digestion: the tum
tum
Why don’t we need to eat constantly?
Besides breaking down food, the stomach stores food –
enough to satisfy our body for many hours
What prevents gastric juice from digesting away
the stomach lining?
Pepsin, an enzyme which begins the chemical digestion
of protein, is secreted in the inactive form pepsinogen
Protects the gastric gland cells
Mucus helps protect the stomach lining from both pepsin
and acid
However, the stomach lining must be replaced about
every 3 days
Human Digestion: small
intestine
Human Digestion: small
intestine
Nutrients are absorbed into the blood from
the small intestine
All 4 types of macromolecules
(carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, & nucleic
acids) are digested in the duodenum
Carbohydrate digestion completed in rest
of the small intestine
Hydrolytic enzymes breakdown polymer into
monomers
Human Digestion: small
intestine
Protein digestion
Pancreas and duodenum secrete hydrolytic
enzymes that break polymer into monomers
(amino acids)
Nucleic acid digestion
Pancreas and duodenum secrete hydrolytic
enzymes which breakdown DNA & RNA
polymers into
Nitrogenous bases, sugars, phosphates
Human Digestion: small
intestine
Lipid digestion
Lipids reach stomach almost completely
undigested
Why?
Fats are hydrophobic
Bile salts from gallbladder coat tiny fat droplets
that keep them separated from each other
Why is the separation of fats into small droplets
beneficial for digestion?
More surface area is exposed, which allows the enzyme
to breakdown the fats quickly
Human Digestion: small
intestine
Majority of chemical digestion has been
completed by the time chyme mixture
passes through duodenum
Rest of small intestine is adapted for the
absorption of nutrients
Small intestine has high surface area
This allows for greater…
Absorption
Also has many folds and projections
Human Digestion: small
intestine
Human Digestion: small
intestine
Capillaries that drain away from the villi
converge into larger blood vessels and
eventually into a main vessel that leads
directly to liver
Converts many of nutrients into new
substances the body needs
Liver removes excess glucose and stores it as?
Glycogen in liver cells
Blood is then transported to heart, which
pumps blood and nutrients to all parts of
the body
Human Digestion: large
intestine
Human Digestion: large
intestine
Colon absorbs water –approximately 90% of the
7 liters of fluid that enters the canal a day are
reclaimed (most in small intestine)
Remains of undigested food become more solid
as water is absorbed
Feces
Consists mainly of plant fibers and prokaryotes
Diarrhea occurs when the colon is irritated and is less
effective at reclaiming water
Constipation occurs when peristalsis moves the feces too
slowly
Colon reabsorbs too much water and feces becomes too
compacted
Diet low in plant fiber or lack of exercise
Nutrition
There are 3 needs which demand a
healthy diet
Fuel to power our bodies
Organic raw materials needed to make our
own molecules
Essential nutrients that we cannot make
ourselves and must obtain in a prefabricated
form
Nutrition: why we need
chemical energy
The chemical processes of our bodies are
fueled by?
ATP
Cellular metabolism produces ATP by oxidizing small
molecules that are digested from food
Usually use carbohydrates and fats, but when required, will
use proteins too
Cellular metabolism must continue or we die
Our basal metabolic rate (BMR) is approximately
1,300 to 1,800 kcal per day
Nutrition: too many kcal
We burn more kcal when we “move”
What happens when we take in more kcal
than we use?
Muscle and liver store it as glycogen
Also stored as fat
Liver can convert excess carbohydrates and proteins
into fat
Nutrition: too many kcal
Extremely low-carb diets
Initial weight loss is mostly WATER
Can cause fatigue and headaches, and in the long-term
–muscle loss
Extremely low-fat diets
Inadequate provision of essential fatty acids, proteins,
and certain minerals
Decrease absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and can
cause irregular menstrual periods
Formula diets –if very low in kcal
Result in loss of body protein, may cause dry skin,
thinning hair, constipation, and salt imbalance
Nutrition: what works?
Scientists find that the best diet to
maintain a healthy body weight is…
There is no best diet
What works is the following equation
Calories in – calories out
Nutrition: Vitamins
If one eats a balanced diet, one does not
need to take vitamins
Most serve as coenzymes or are parts of
coenzymes
Used over and over again in metabolic
processes
Deficiencies and excessive use can cause
serious problems
Water-soluble vitamins are not harmful as
excess can pass in urine and feces
Excessive fat-soluble vitamins are deposited in
fat and can have toxic effects
Nutrition: Minerals
Must obtain minerals through dietary
sources
Ex: calcium needed for normal functioning
of nerves and muscles
Ex: phosphorous is an ingredient of ATP
and nucleic acids