When you digest food the goes through chemical changes.?
1. Carbohydrates:
- In the mouth, salivary amylase begins the digestion of carbohydrates by breaking down starches into smaller sugars like maltose.
- In the stomach, stomach acid helps break down carbohydrates further into smaller molecules.
- In the small intestine, pancreatic amylase and other enzymes further break down carbohydrates into simple sugars like glucose, which can be absorbed and used for energy.
2. Proteins:
- In the stomach, stomach acid and pepsin begin the digestion of proteins by breaking them down into smaller peptides.
- In the small intestine, pancreatic proteases further break down proteins into amino acids, which can be absorbed and used to build new proteins in the body.
3. Fats:
- In the mouth, lingual lipase begins the digestion of fats by breaking down triglycerides into smaller fatty acids and glycerol.
- In the stomach, stomach acid helps emulsify fats, allowing them to be more easily broken down by enzymes.
- In the small intestine, pancreatic lipase and other enzymes further break down fats into fatty acids and glycerol, which can be absorbed and used for energy or stored as fat.
These chemical changes are facilitated by various digestive enzymes produced by the mouth, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine. These enzymes catalyze specific reactions that break down complex food molecules into simpler, absorbable nutrients. The process of digestion is essential for the body to extract nutrients from food and convert them into energy and building blocks for various bodily functions.