N3 Anatomy and Physiology AY 2024-2025

1. How does the food change in consistency and form?

- The food changes when it enters the entry point of the digestive system, the mouth. The mouth contains the saliva, which in turn is made up of a digestive enzyme called the amylase, breaking down the food into simple sugars, creating the bolus. The bolus is a circle-like shape created by the aftermath of breaking down food mechanically and chemically. The food continues to change consistency and form when it reaches the stomach and encounters with the gastric juices that are highly acidic. The gastric juices change the bolus into a thick liquid called the chyme.

2. How could the body absorb the nutrients from the foods we eat?

- When the chyme goes to the small intestine, it passes through the duodenum, which allows it to come in contact with the bile and other digestive enzymes from the pancreas, the jejunum, and the ileum, where the nutrient absorption happens. The absorbed nutrients travel to the bloodstream via the villi that are attached to the walls of the small intestine. The villi becomes the entry point of nutrients to the bloodstream due to their connection with capillaries.