Digestion and the Digestive System in Humans

• Amino acids are needed for growth and repair of tissues and organs.
• Amino acids come from the proteins that one eats.
• A balanced diet is a diet that has the appropriate levels of all nutrient groups for one's age / gender / activity levels.
• Benedicts test is the test for glucose.
• Bile is produced by the liver and is stored and released from the gall bladder.
• Bile emulsifies fats to aid in digestion.
• The biuret test is the test for protein.
• Carbohydrase is found in the mouth and digests starch into glucose.
• Digestion is the breakdown of complex, insoluble food molecules into small, soluble molecules that can enter the blood system.
• Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up the rate of chemical reactions.
• Fats provide energy.
• The gall bladder stores bile produced in the liver then releases it into the small intestine.
• Glucose provides energy for the body and comes from carbohydrates.
• Iodine test is the test for starch.
• The large intestine reabsorbs water into the body.
• Lipase is found in the small intestine, it digests fats and fatty acids and glycerol.
• The liver produces bile which helps with the digestion of fats.
• The mouth is where food is physically broken down and the digestion of starch begins.
• The oesophagus is the tube that takes food from the mouth to the stomach.
• The pancreas produces carbohydrase and lipase.
• Peristalsis is how much food is moved along the gut.
• Protease found in the stomach, it digests proteins into amino acids.
• The small intestine completes digestion of certain types of food and absorption occurs here.
• The stomach is where digestion of protein begins, it is an acidic environment.
• Vitamins are needed for the vital chemical reactions to take place.
• Water is what cells are mostly made from and all chemical reactions in the body involve chemicals that must be dissolved in water.