Relationship between
Digestion and Absorption
By A. Jiyah
This is the breaking down of complex molecules of
carbohydrates, proteins and fat and oil into
Digestion smaller particles that can be absorbed or utilized
by the body.
Mastication or chewing of food breaks the large
food molecules into small particles thereby
creating greater surface area for the action of
digestive enzymes.
Digestion in These small particles are then moistened by saliva
secreted by the salivary glands.
the Mouth
The digestive enzymes exist in inactive state and
factors such as sight, smell of food, hormonal or
chemical influence stimulate their secretion.
In the mouth two digestive enzymes drives
digstiion;
Ptyalin (salivery amylase) converts properly cooked
starched into dextrin and maltose, initiating the
digestion of carbohydrate.
Optimal pH of ptyalin id between 4 to 9 while the pH of
the mouth varies between 6.4 and 7.3
Lingual lipase converts lipids(fats)into fatty acids
and glycerides. It is secreted by lingual glands.
Its activity is significant in the stomach due to its
optimal acidic pH
The food remains in the mouth for a short time to
allow proper mastication or chewing of the food
before the peristaltic movement of oesophagus
allows the movement of the moistened food
particles through the cardiac sphincter at the
entrance of the stomach
Stomach serves more as a reserver than a
digestive organ of food.
The period of time the food stays in the stomach
varies with the type of the nutrients in the food.
Digestion in
the Food consisting mainly of carbohydrate stays for a
relatively shorter time period than food containing
Stomach protein and fat.
Food containing fat and oil stays longer in the
stomach than food containing any other nutrients.
This is why diet containing fat and oil has greater
satiety value than food containing other nutrients.
The stomach plays a crucial role in digestion by
breaking down food both mechanically and
chemically.
1. Mechanical Digestion
The muscular walls of the stomach churn and mix
food with gastric juices, forming a semi-liquid
mixture called chyme.
This process, called peristalsis, helps break food into
smaller particles for better enzyme action.
2. Chemical Digestion
The action of ptyalin that starts from the mouth
continue in the stomach until the conditions of the
stomach becomes highly acidic or basic.
In the stomach, gastrin stimulates the secretion of
gastric juice at the pyloric region of the stomach
(the nearest part to the small intestine).
The gastric juice contains hydrochloric acid,
mucin, water and two enzymes that aids digestion
in the stomach:
Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) – Creates an acidic
environment (pH 1.5–3.5) that:
Denatures proteins (unfolds them for easier enzyme
access).
Activates pepsinogen into pepsin.
Kills most ingested bacteria.
Pepsin – A protease enzyme that breaks proteins
into smaller peptides (dipeptides and tripeptides).
Gastric Lipase – Begins the digestion of dietary fats,
especially important in infants.
Intrinsic Factor – A glycoprotein required for vitamin
B12 absorption in the small intestine.
Mucin in the gastric juice protects the wall in the
stomach from self digestion in the sense that
mucin adheres to the lining of the stomach
thereby keeping pepsin away from stomach walls.
This action prevents perforation of the tissues of the
stomach
Limited Absorption in the Stomach
While most nutrient absorption happens in the
small intestine, the stomach can absorb:
Alcohol
Some medications (e.g., aspirin)
Water (in small amounts)
The highly acidic chyme (liquidified mass of food)
from the stomach passes through the pyloric
sphincter into the small intestine.
Digestion in
the Small As a result of the interaction of hormonal,
Intestine chemical and the mechanical factors in the
intestine, pancreatic juice, biles and intestinal
juice are secreted.
Pancreatic juice as consists of :
i. Water and inorganic ions Na, K, Ca2I, Cl, HCO,
HPO4,
ii. Enzymes, precursor — trypsinogen,
chemotrypsinogen and procarboxy-peptilase
Trypsin from trypsinogen breaks down protein into
proteoses to peptones, to polypeptides.
Chemotrypsin which is activated by trypsin breaks
specific linkages in the polypeptide bond to amino
acids.
Carboxyl-polypeptilase spilts off amino acids from
peptide end having free carboxyl group.
Lipase breaks emulsified fat to fatty acid and
glycerol while amylase breaks starch to soluble
starch to dextrin to maltose.
Bile salt from bile causes emulsification of fat and
aids the absorption of fatty acids and fat soluble
vitamins. In view of this, bile salts play an
important role in the digestion of fat.
From our discussion so far we have seen that the digestion
of food results into the production of amino acids, glucose
fructose, galatose, fatty acids and glycerol.
The digestibility of the food is also important for us to
consider.
Approximately 95% of food stuffs are digested and
absorbed.
While sugars are quickly absorbed, fat remains in the
digestive tract for many hours.
Animal foods have greater digestibility than the
corresponding plant foods.
There is no digestion in the large intestine; except
that water is absorbed from the waste products in
the large intestine to concentrate the feaces.
Even the absorption of nutrients does not also
take place in the large intestine.
Large
Intestine The faecal materials contain the unabsorbed food
residues containing indigestted fibres mainly
cellulose from fruits and vegetables.
It should be noted that these fibres are important
roughages for the gastro intestinal health.
Most of the absorption of the products of digestion
of carbohydrate, protein and fat and oil takes place
in the small intestine by active transport and
diffusion.
This occurs particularly in the duodenum and the
upper part of jejunum.
Absorption
The absorption takes place in the lining of the
small intestine which contains the villi. These villi
are fingerlike projections.
The epithelial cells of the villi have a brush boarder
which increases the absorptive surface of the villi.
The mitochondria that is near the brush boarder area of
the villi supply the energy for the transportation of the
building blocks that are all transported into the porter
vein.
The absorption of the short chain fatty acids takes place
from the endoplasmic membrane and the long chain fatty
acids are absorbed into the lymphatic systm.
Many of the cations and anions are absorbed through the
small intestinal mucosa.
While vitamin A is required for calcium absorption, the
presence of vitamin C and E enhance the absorption of
iron.
Some amino acids are also absorbed in the intestines.
And fat and oil are utilized in the body.
Amino acids, glucose and fatty acids can all be
used for the energy needs of the body and some
of these products of digestion are also used for the
synthesis of non-essential amino acids, enzymes
Utilization and hormones.
The amino acids absorbed are circulated in the
blood for the use of cells for the synthesis of new
tissues, for maintenance or repair of body protein
and for manufacture of hormones and enzymes.
Glucose, galactose and fructose released from
digestion of starches are converted to glucose and
later to glycogen when glucose content in the
blood is in excess of the immediate needs.
The glycogen is the temporary fuel reserve of the
blood and this is depleted during exercises.
If glucose is in excess of what can be stored as
glycogen it will be converted to fat which is stored
in the adipose tissue and the excess glucose can
also be used for the synthesis of non-nitrogenous
part of the non-essential amino acids.
Fatty acids and glycerol form fat digestion are
metabolized in separate ways in the body.
Glycerol is converted to glucose in the liver and then
follows the same metabolism as that of the glucose.
Fatty acids may be used by the cells form the
circulating blood to form the structure of the cell.
In the absence of this the metabolism of fatty acids
which occur in the liver may cause its conversion into
phospholipids in the presence of choline or
methioline.
Fatty acids in excess of all these functions are
converted into adipose tissue.
Interdependence
The Digestion Precedes Absorption:
Relationship Absorption cannot occur without digestion. Food
must be broken down into absorbable units.
Efficiency of Absorption Depends on Digestion:
Thorough digestion maximizes the amount of
nutrients that can be absorbed.
Coordination:
The digestive system is designed to coordinate
digestion and absorption, ensuring that nutrients are
absorbed at the optimal time and location.
The small intestine is the place where the
two processes are most heavily intertwined.
In essence:
Digestion prepares the food.
Absorption takes the prepared nutrients into the
body.
