Nursing Science: Digestion and Pancreatic Juice

Digestion

• Bile, produced by the liver, helps break down lipids in the small intestine and is stored in the gallbladder.
• Pancreatic juice, produced by the pancreas, contains enzymes that break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in the small intestine.

Enteric Nervous System

• The enteric nervous system is a network of nerves that controls the gastrointestinal system, regulating digestion, absorption, and elimination of food.

Carbohydrate Digestion

• Carbohydrate digestion begins in the oral cavity, where enzymes in saliva break down complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars.
• The process continues in the stomach, where food is mixed with stomach acid and further broken down.
• In the small intestine, enzymes produced by the pancreas and bile produced by the liver complete the breakdown of carbohydrates into monosaccharides.

Additional Facts

• Cellulose is a polysaccharide produced by plants that the body cannot digest but is useful for adding bulk to faeces.
• The body cannot manufacture essential amino acids.
• Water-soluble vitamins are likely to cause deficiencies.
• Minerals, such as copper, fluoride, iodine, and iron, are only required in small amounts.
• The teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas are accessory organs.
• Peristalsis is the involuntary constriction and relaxation of the muscles of the intestine that propels the contents forward.
• Deciduous teeth, also known as milk teeth, begin to appear at approximately 6 months of age.
• Hydrochloric acid, found in the stomach, activates pepsinogen into pepsin, necessary for protein digestion.
• Brush Border Enzymes ensure the digestion of carbohydrates.
• Bile is secreted by the liver and necessary for the mechanical breakdown of lipids.
• Vitamin K is manufactured in the large intestine and necessary for clotting.