Procesos del Sistema Digestivo

Procesos del Sistema Digestivo

• Ingestión: The introduction of food and liquids into the digestive system, through the mouth. This includes chewing (mastication) and mixing food with saliva to form a soft mass called a bolus.

• Digestión: The process of breaking down food into simpler molecules the body can absorb. This involves two types:

  • Mechanical Digestion: Physical processes like chewing and peristaltic movements in the digestive tract, fragmenting and mixing food to aid enzymes.
  • Chemical Digestion: Occurs due to enzymes and digestive juices (like saliva, gastric juice, and bile), breaking down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into smaller molecules like glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids.

• Absorción: The absorption primarily takes place in the small intestine. Simple molecules resulting from digestion (glucose, amino acids, and lipids) pass through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream or lymph, distributing them to body cells. Water and some minerals are absorbed in the large intestine.

• Elimination: Undigested or unabsorbed substances (such as fiber, excess water, and bacteria) are compacted into waste, forming feces in the large intestine. Feces are temporarily stored in the rectum and then eliminated through the anus.

Diferencia entre digestión química y mecánica

• Chemical Digestion: The process of breaking down food molecules through the action of enzymes and digestive juices.

  • Examples: Amylase in saliva breaks down carbohydrates; pepsin in the stomach breaks down proteins; lipases in the pancreas break down fats.

• Mechanical Digestion: Physical processes, breaking down food into smaller pieces and mixing it with digestive juices.

  • Examples: Chewing, peristaltic movements, and mixing in the stomach.

• Both of these types of digestion are crucial because mechanical digestion (breaking food down into smaller pieces) prepares the food for enzymes to break it down chemically more efficiently.

Características y funciones de los órganos del sistema digestivo

• Boca: Contains teeth, tongue, and salivary glands. Chewing begins the mechanical breakdown of food and mixes it with saliva containing amylase (enzymes for carbohydrate digestion). The tongue helps shape the food into a bolus.

• Faringe: A shared tube for both the digestive and respiratory systems. The epiglottis prevents food from entering the windpipe during swallowing.

• Esófago: A muscular tube transporting the bolus from the mouth to the stomach through peristalsis (rhythmic muscular contractions).

• Estómago: A muscular sac where food is mixed with gastric juice, starting the chemical digestion of proteins. It also churns and grinds the food.

• Intestino Delgado: A long tube where most absorption takes place due to its structure, which maximizes surface area, aided by folds and tiny projections called villi and microvilli. The duodenum receives bile and pancreatic juices; the jejunum and ileum absorb nutrients into the blood and lymph.

• Intestino Grueso: Absorbs water, vitamins, and minerals from undigested food matter, forming feces.

• Recto: A storage area for feces.

• Ano: The opening through which feces are expelled.

• Glándulas Salivales: Produce saliva containing amylase for carbohydrate digestion.

• Hígado: Produces bile, emulsifying fats for easier digestion. It stores nutrients and removes toxins from the blood.

• Vesícula Biliar: Stores and concentrates bile produced by the liver, releasing it into the small intestine when needed for fat digestion.

• Páncreas: Secretes digestive enzymes (amylase, lipase, and trypsin) for carbohydrate, fat, and protein digestion, as well as bicarbonate to neutralize stomach acid.