What is the process of digestion?

Question

Grayson Anderson · Accepted Answer

Digestion means to break apart, The process breaks food down into the basic molecular components needed by the body.

The process of digestion includes both physical and chemical breakdown of the food's component parts with the aim of breaking food down into small enough molecules to pass into cells and be used in cellular metabolism. The process begins with the food being chewed, which breaks it down into smaller pieces physically and facilitates the chemical breakdown of the food. Additionally, the food is combined with salvia in the mouth, which releases an enzyme that breaks down the starch bonds that hold the sugar molecules together to form the polysaccharides of starches. The food is then sent to the stomach, where it is combined with acids and enzymes to further break it down chemically. The stomach churns the food, adding physical forces to the breakdown process. The acids soften the food, making it easier to digest. The enzymes have a specific structure that targets proteins, breaking them down into amino acids. As food exits the stomach, it is combined with bile, which disintegrates fat into smaller molecules that cells can absorb. The food is broken down into much smaller pieces and sent to the small intestine, where the villi allow the blood to absorb the minuscule pieces. Digestion is the process by which complicated food is broken down into simple, tiny molecules that can be absorbed by cells and used for metabolism.

Aaron Allen · Answer

undefined The process of digestion involves the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller molecules that can be absorbed by the body. It begins in the mouth, where food is chewed and mixed with saliva. The food then travels down the esophagus to the stomach, where it is further broken down by stomach acids and enzymes. From the stomach, partially digested food moves into the small intestine, where enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver continue the breakdown process. Nutrients are absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Any remaining undigested material passes into the large intestine, where water is absorbed, and waste products are formed into feces for elimination through the rectum and anus.