In which two organs is food broken down?
Are you offered choices? Google "digestion" and read carefully.
Well, when it comes to breaking down food, you could say it's a "team effort" between two organs: the stomach and the small intestine. They work together like a comedy duo, with the stomach doing the initial chopping and mixing of the food, and the small intestine taking over to absorb all the nutrients. It's like a hilarious slapstick routine happening inside our bodies!
Food is broken down in the stomach and small intestine.
Food is broken down in two main organs: the stomach and the small intestine.
To understand how food is broken down in these organs, let's go through the process:
1. Stomach: When you eat, food enters your stomach. The stomach secretes digestive enzymes, such as pepsin and hydrochloric acid, which help break down proteins into smaller molecules. The stomach also mixes the food with its muscular walls, resulting in a semi-liquid substance called chyme.
2. Small Intestine: From the stomach, the partially digested food moves into the small intestine. Here, the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes (including amylase, lipase, and proteases) and the gallbladder releases bile to further break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The small intestine walls are lined with small finger-like projections called villi, which increase the surface area for absorption. Nutrients, such as glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids, are absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream.
It's worth mentioning that digestion also begins in the mouth where enzymes in saliva start breaking down carbohydrates. Additionally, the large intestine (colon) absorbs water and electrolytes from the remaining indigestible food materials before they are eliminated as feces.
In summary, the stomach and small intestine work together in breaking down food into smaller molecules that can be absorbed by the body for energy and nourishment.