Digestive System

Our body needs a lot of nutrients and the digestive system is the one who delivers the nutrients throughout the body. It is the one responsible for the breaking down of food to convert it into energy and distribute or provides nutrients in all the parts of the body. Other functions of the digestive system is to absorb the digested molecules and eliminate wastes inside our body. The parts of the digestive system is the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small & large intestine, liver and pancreas. Each of these organs has an enzyme that breaks down the small particles of the food into a very small molecules which are absorbed into the circulation and transported all over the body. Some of these enzymes are the salivary amylase which breaks down starch in the mouth, Pepsin which breaks down covalent bonds from proteins to form a smaller peptide chains, Peptidases which breaks down peptide bonds in proteins to form amino acids, and others.

Nutrition is the process by which food is taken into and used by the body. Our body needs nutrients which provides energy and building blocks for new molecules in the body. There are essential nutrients which are nutrients that must be ingested by the body because our body cannot manufacture them. Our body needs carbohydrates, some lipids, proteins, vitamins and minerals.