Digestion

Headline: Digestion.

In today's Science lesson, we went through the digestion worksheets which had to be completed during the March holiday. Digestion occurs in every human being. It is a process whereby large complex food molecules are broken down into smaller, simpler, soluble and diffusible molecules so that nutrients in the food can be absorbed by the body.

I learnt that there are two main processes in digestion, they are known as the physical and chemical digestion. When food is broken down into smaller pieces and its surface area increases, it is called a physical change. It is only known as a chemical digestion when large, complex food molecules are broken down into smaller, simpler, soluble and diffusible food molecules with the help of enzymes.

I learnt that special types of proteins, known as enzymes, are produced by our body so as to speed up specific chemical reactions. There are different types of enzymes called amylase (breaks down starch into maltose), maltase (breaks down maltose into glucose), protease (breaks down proteins into amino acids) and lipase (breaks down fats into fatty acids and glycerol).

Lastly, I also learnt that many athletes consume fruits such as bananas before a strenuous activity as they need energy and fruits, like bananas, are rich in sugar. The sugar can be easily digested and is able to provide instant energy for the athletes.

(Example of the human digestion system)

Sources: Google Images