How Carbohydrates are How Carbohydrates are broken downbroken down

What is the Digestive System?What is the Digestive System?

Food provides us with fuel to live, energy to work and play, and the raw materials to build new cells. All the different varieties of food we eat are broken down by our digestive system.

Review of Digestive System from Review of Digestive System from HealthHealth

What does the Mouth Do?What does the Mouth Do?

The mouth The mouth mixes the food with watery saliva, from 6 salivary glands around the mouth and face, to make it moist and slippery.

The StomachThe Stomach

Uses enzymes to break down the protein Uses enzymes to break down the protein in the foods to amino acids that can be in the foods to amino acids that can be used by the body.used by the body.

The PancreasThe Pancreas

Continues to break down the food into Continues to break down the food into smaller molecules that the body can easily smaller molecules that the body can easily use.use.

The Pancreas is behind the stomach

and food passes throughthere before going to the

intestines

The Small IntestineThe Small Intestine

Here, more enzymes continue the chemical attack on the food. They are carried away to the liver and other body parts to be processed, stored and distributed.

All foods are broken down at this point.

The LiverThe Liver

Blood from the intestines flows to the liver, carrying nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and other products from digestion. The liver is like a food-processing factory with more than 200 different jobs. It stores some nutrients, changes them from one form to another, and releases them into the blood according to the activities and needs of the body.

The Large IntestineThe Large Intestine

Any useful substances in the leftovers, such as spare Any useful substances in the leftovers, such as spare water and body minerals, are absorbed through the walls water and body minerals, are absorbed through the walls of the large intestine, back into the blood. The remains of the large intestine, back into the blood. The remains are formed into brown, semi-solid feces, ready to be are formed into brown, semi-solid feces, ready to be removed from the body.removed from the body.

Breakdown of foodsBreakdown of foods

Starch → Maltose → Starch → Maltose → GlucoseGlucose

Protein → Protein → Amino Amino AcidsAcids

Sucrose (table sugar) → Sucrose (table sugar) → FructoseFructose + + GlucoseGlucose

FatFat → → FattyFatty AcidsAcids + cholesterol + cholesterol