What Is Digestion

Process whereby the body breaks

down food into absorbable nutrients.
Digestive tract is a long tube
surrounded by muscles.
 Digestion is a process involving the hydrolysis
of large and complex organic molecules of
foodstuffs into smaller and preferably water-
soluble molecules which can be easily
absorbed by the GIT for utilization by the
organism
Digestion of macromolecules also promotes
the absorption of fat soluble vitamins and
certain minerals
 Mouth

Teeth grind food to reduce the size.

Saliva released to help moisten
food.
Some carbohydrate digestion
begins.
Tongue pushes food to the back of
the mouth to start swallowing reflex.
Food passes through the esophagus
 Stomach

Distended pouch. Strong circular

muscles at each end control food
entering and leaving.

Mixes food by muscular

contractions causing food to break
up further.
 Small Intestine

Most digestion and absorption

occurs in small intestine.
Bile released to emulsify (break up)
fat.
Pancreatic enzymes released to
digest carbohydrates, proteins and
fats.
Final digestive enzymes in intestinal
lining break down carbohydrates,
 Final Digestion Product

Final digestion products absorbed by

cells lining small intestine.
Carbohydrates:
Monosaccharides
Proteins:
Amino acids
Chains of 2 or 3 amino acids
Fats:
Fatty acids
Glycerol
Monoglycerides
 Absorption

Water-soluble nutrients and short

fatty acids released directly into
the bloodstream.

Longer fatty acids, fat-soluble

vitamins, and fat-like compounds
such as cholesterol are not water-
soluble.
 Indigestible Matter

After digestion and absorption of

nutrients, indigestible matter, such
as fiber moves into the large
intestine.
Indigestible matter is compacted by
removing water.
Little nutrient absorption occurs in
large intestine.
 Metabolism

Chemical reactions that occur in

the body:
Building and maintaining body tissues
Regulating body functions
Supplying energy
For metabolism to occur the body
needs:
Water
Energy
Oxygen
Biological Importance
Food

large small molecules

molecules vitamins,
Digestion
minerals,
monosaccharides
small molecules and
Absorption free amino acids

BLOOD
Digestion and absorption of
carbohydrates
Carbohydrates present in
the diet

Disaccharide Monosaccharid
Polysaccharid
s es
es

Starch Lactose Glucose

Glycogen Maltos Fructos
e e
Sucros Pentose
e In GIT, all complex carbohydrates are
converted to simpler monosaccharide
form which is the absorbable form.
 Complex carbohydrates into simple

Polysaccharide into monosaccharide

 Details of digestion of
carbohydrates
2 Types of enzymes are important for the
digestion of carbohydrates

Amylases Disaccharida
ses

Convert disaccharides
convert polysaccharides to
to monosaccharides
disaccharides
which are finally
absorbed
Salivar Maltas
y e
Amyla
Sucrase-
se
Pancreat Isomaltase
ic Lactase
Amylase
Trehalase
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES

Digestion
in mouth

Digestion
in stomach

Digestion
in small
intestine
 Digestion in the
Mouth
Digestion of Carbohydrate starts in the
mouth, upon contact with saliva during
mastication.
Saliva contains a carbohydrate splitting
enzyme called salivary amylase , also
known as ptylin.
 Action of ptylin (salivary
amylase)
Location: mouth
It is -amylase and requires Cl
ion for activation with an
optimum pH of 6.7 (Range 6.6 to
6.8).
However, ptylin action stops in
the stomach when the pH falls to
3.0.- acidic pH
 Starch, Glycogen and dextrins
(Large polysaccharide molecules)

- Amylase

Glucose,Maltose, Dextrin, maltose

and Maltotriose.
(Smaller molecules)
 Drawback
Shorter duration of food in
mouth.
Thus it is incomplete digestion of
starch or glycogen in the mouth
 Digestion in the
Stomach
Stomach receives partially digested &
Partially indigested food from mouth
mixed with salivary enzyme
No CHO digesting enzymes, no digestion
However, HCl present in the stomach
causes hydrolysis of sucrose to fructose
and glucose.

Sucrose Fructose +
Glucose HCl
 Digestion in
Duodenum
Complete digestion, SI, longer time -stay
Food bolus reaches the duodenum from
the stomach where it meets the pancreatic
juice.
Enzymes: pancreatic amylase & intestinal
amylase
Includes: maltase
Isomaltose
Limit dextrinase
Sucrase
lactase
 Digestion in
Duodenum
Pancreatic juice contains a
carbohydrate splitting enzyme,
pancreatic amylase
(amylopsin) similar to salivary
amylase.
 Action of pancreatic
amylase
It is an - Amylase
Optimum pH=7.1
Like ptylin, it requires Cl ion for its
activity.
It hydrolyses -1 4 glycosidic
linkages situated well inside
polysaccharide molecules.
Note: Pancreatic amylase, an isoenzyme of
salivary amylase, differs only in the optimum
pH of action. Both the enzymes require Chloride
ions for their actions (Ion activated enzymes).
Reaction catalyzed by pancreatic
amylase

Starch/Glyco
gen

Pancreatic
Amylase

Maltose/ Isomaltose
+
Dextrins and
oligosaccharides
Starch/glycoge Pancreatic/intes Dextrin + limit + dextrin +
n tinal amylase maltose + Isomaltose

Isomaltose Isomaltase 2 glucose units

Maltose Maltase 2 glucose units

Limit dextrin Limit dextrinase 2 glucose units

Sucrose Sucrase Glucose + fructose

Lactose Lactase Glucose + galactose

 MOUTH

COMPLEX
CARBOHYDRATES
SMALL % OF
DIGESTION

STOMACH

NO DIGESTION

INTESTINE

DEXTRIN + LIMIT DEXTRIN + MALTOSE +

ISOMALTOSE

2 GLUCOSE UNITS
 ABSORPTION
Occurs in small intestine
In blood stream, occurs in form of
simple sugar-monosaccharide-
glucose, galactose, fructose
Simple sugar enter the portal
circulation via capillaries of villi & are
transported to liver
 In the liver fructose and galactose
are converted to glycogen for
storage

The glycogen stored gets

reconverted to glucose during fasting
 Absorption of
carbohydrates

3 mechanisms

Facilitated Active
Passive diffusion/Carrier transport
diffusion mediated
Glucose absorption
GluT4- Glucose transport in cells
Features Passive Facilitated Active transport
diffusion diffusion
Concentration Down the Down the Against a
gradient concentration concentration concentration
gradient from gradient from gradient from low
high to low. high to low. to high
Energy none none Energy
expenditure expenditure is in
the form of ATP
Carrier protein/ Not required required required
transporter
Speed Slowest mode Fast Fastest mode
 Absorption of Glucose
from the small intestinal lumen
by carrier mediated
mechanism
involving transporter
proteins
1) Na+-dependent transporter
by secondary active
transport
and to a
less extent by
2) Na+-independent
transporter
by passive transport
 Monosaccharides, the end
products of carbohydrate
digestion, enter the capillaries of
the intestinal villi

In the
liver,
galactose
&
fructose
are
converte
Small d to
intestine Monosaccharides glucose.
travel to the
liver via the
Diagram showing absorption of
monosaccharides
Uptake of glucose in
peripheral cells
Mechanism: facilitated diffusion.
There are 7 important glucose
transporter for uptake of glucose into
special cells.
They have been numbered from 1 to
7 (GLUT 1 to GLUT 7).
They are biologically important.
Factors affecting rate of absorption of Monosaccharide

The absorption is faster through intact

mucosa.

The absorption is decreased if there is

some inflammation or injury to the
mucosa.

Thyroid hormones the rate of

absorption of glucose.
Factors affecting rate of absorption of Monosaccharide

Mineralocorticoid, i.e Aldosterone

the rate of absorption.

Vitamin B6,B12, pantothenic acid,

folic acid are required for absorption
of glucose.

With advancing age, rate of

absorption declines.
 METABOLISM
Simple carbohydrates - used up by
the body
 Energy production
Glucose obtained directly utilized
by the body cells to obtain energy
Glucose broken down to release
energy

Glycolysis
Glucose 2 pyruvate
 Pyruvate enters TCA cycle
( tricarboxylic acid ) also known as kreb
cycle to produce energy in form of ATP

Pyruvate 2 acetyle CoA Kreb cycle

Energy( 36 ATP Mol )

+Carbondioxide(6)+Water(6)
 Storage products
Conversion into glycogen
Primarily glucose is used for energy
production
Extra glucose is converted into glycogen in
presence of insulin
And stored in liver & muscle
Glycogenesis

Insulin
Glucose glycogen
Conversion into fat
If glucose level exceeds beyond the
storage space available in liver &
muscle
Then rest of glucose is stored in form
of fat in adipose tissue
Lipogenesis
 Maintenance of blood glucose
levels
After complete digestion glucose
enters blood stream helps normal
functioning all blood cells

FBS (Fasting Blood Glucose) : 80-110

mg/dl
 HORMONES EFFECT ON BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVEL

Insulin Decreases

Glucogen Increases

Epinephrine ( adrenaline) Increases

Glucocorticoids Increases

Thyroxine Increases

Growth hormone Increases