Physiology 2130 Lecture 15: Module 15

• School: Western University
• Department: Physiology
• Course: Physiology 2130
• Professor: Carlie Bell

Document Summary

The main function of the digestive system is to break down organic nutrients so that they can be absorbed into the body. These organic nutrients can be carbohydrates, proteins, fats, water, vitamins and minerals. The meal : we will discuss the digestive system as it applies to a relatively common meal a hamburger, fries and a soda. The meat is made up of mostly protein with a little fat. The bun and fries are made up of carbs and a little fat. The soda is mostly water, carbs and some other dissolved substances. The mouth: digestion begins in the mouth, where food is broken down by chewing (mastication) and is mixed with saliva to form a bolus. The saliva consists mostly of water (99. 5%) with ions and proteins (0. 5%) Saliva is secreted by 3 glands: parotid, submandibular and sublingual, these glands can produce up to 2 l of saliva each day.