N3 Anatomy and Physiology AY 2024-2025

1. How does the food change in consistency and form?
When food enters our mouth, it begins to change in consitency and form as our teeth chews it and our saliva begins to digest it. This now turns the food we just ate into bolus, making it easier to swallow and pass through our esophagus. Once it ends up in the stomach, the bolus mixes with digestive enzymes and is churned by the stomach, turning it into a thick liquid called chyme. As it passes through our intestines, it is broken down more and more into smaller parts wherein useful nutrients and water are absorbed leaving us with feces that will be excreted.

2. How could the body absorb the nutrients from the foods we eat?
The body absorbs nutrients through the small intestine, where after food is broken down into smaller pieces through digestion, the molecules of the nutrients pass through the intestinal walls to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Small finger-like projections called villi and microvilli in the small intestine increases its surface ara making it able to absorb more nutrients effectively. These nutrients are then transported throughout the body to be used for energy, growth, and repair of the body's cells.