Nutrition Quiz #2: Digestion

Food-borne illness:

Consuming food or drink contaminated with a pathogenic microbe.

Belching:

- Generally caused by swallowing amounts of air - It usually happens as a result of eating too fast, drinking carbonated beverages, or anxiety - It can also occur during gum chewing or smoking.

The large intestine consists of three segments:

-Cecum: beginning -Colon: largest part; middle -Rectum: final 8 inch portion of the large intestine

What are the processes and organ involved in digestion?

-Digestion -Absorption -Transport -Elimination

Salivary glands:

-Dissolve small food particles to ease the process of swallowing food -The body produces 1 quart of saliva per day -Saliva contains water, mucus, electrolytes, and a few enzymes

Saliva:

-Dissolves small food particles -Contains the enzyme amylase, which begins to break down carbohydrates -In adults, no other chemical digestion takes place in the mouth

The small intestine consists of three segments:

-Duodenum: 10 inches long -Jejunum: 8 feet long -Ileum: 12 feet long

Pancreas:

-Endocrine function: releases hormones to maintain blood glucose levels -Exocrine function: secretes digestive enzymes into the small intestine

What are some common digestive disorders?

-Heartburn -Esophageal cancer -Belching -Gastroenteritis -Ulcers -Gallbladder disease -Flatulence -Diarrhea/constipation -Hemorrhoids -Irritable bowel syndrome -Ulcerative colitis -Crohn's disease -Colon cancer -Celiac disease

Five organs make up the GI tract:

-Mouth -Esophagus -Stomach -Small intestine -Large intestine

Sphincters at work:

-The LES relaxes after swallowing to allow the bolus to enter the stomach. -The LES contracts to prevent stomach contents from returning to the esophagus.

Esophageal cancer:

-This is one of the most common cancers of the digestive tract -Sufferers are typically males over age 50 living in urban areas who smoke and drink heavily -Treatment can include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy

Factors associated with GERD:

Consumption of the following foods: chocolate, fatty foods, coffee, soda, onions, and garlic. Part-taking in the following activities: smoking, being obese/overweight, drinking alcohol, wearing tight-fit clothing, eating big dinners, and reclining after eating.

Flatulence:

Accumulation of gas in the intestines causing the walls to stretch. Most adults release the gas 10-20 times a day. Caused by: food high in fiber and starch, eating quickly, drinking carbonated drinks, lack of exercise, and smoking.

Sphincters:

Allow food to pass from one organ to the next.

Upper esophageal sphincter (UES):

Allows the bolus of food to enter the esophagus.

Lower esophageal sphincter (LES):

Allows the bolus of food to enter the stomach.

Mechanical digestion:

Breaking down food through chewing, grinding, squeezing, and moving food through the GI tract by peristalsis and segmentation.

Chemical digestion:

Breaking down food through enzymatic reactions.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS):

Changes in colon rhythm. Results in alternating patterns of diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain.

True or False: acid reflux is caused by gas in the stomach.

False. Acid reflux occurs when acidic stomach contents pass back through the lower esophageal sphincter into the esophagus.

True or False: the lymphatic system transports all nutrients through the body once they've been absorbed.

False. Lymph transports only fat-soluble nutrients. Blood transports water-soluble nutrients.

True or False: diarrhea is always caused by bacterial infection.

False. Through food borne illness can cause diarrhea, the condition can also result from an adverse reaction to stress or to certain foods, medications, or other compounds.

Gallbladder:

Functions: receives bile from the liver via common hepatic duct, concentrates bile, and releases bile into small intestine via common bile duct.

Accessory organs:

Outside the GI tract these aid in digestion: salivary glands, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder.

Peristalsis:

Squeezes food forward through the GI tract.

Mass movement:

Strong, slow, peristaltic movements, occurring only 3-4 times a day within the colon, that force waste toward the rectum.

Hemorrhoids:

Swelling of the veins of the rectum and anus. Can lead to bleeding, itching, and pain. Contributors: trouble passing dry stools, pregnancy, constipation, diarrhea, and aging.

Stomach flu:

Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping. Treat symptoms through rest, rehydration, and eating soft foods.

Symptoms of celiac disease:

Symptoms include: reoccurring abdominal bloating, cramping, gas, diarrhea, bad smelling poop, weight loss, anemia, and bone or joint pain.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract:

The GI tract is a 23-foot long muscular tube comprised of the organs of the digestive tract.

True or False: irritable bowel syndrome is caused by an allergy to gluten.

The cause of irritable bowel syndrome is not known, but low-fiber diets, stress, consumption of irritating foods, and intestinal motility disorders are all suspected factors.

Elimination:

The excretion of undigested and unabsorbed food through the feces.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD):

The lower esophageal sphincter doesn't close, allowing HCI from the stomach to flow into the esophagus. Typical symptoms: chronic heartburn and stomach acid reflux.

Diarrhea:

The passage of watery, loose stools more than three times a day. Generally, the result of viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections. Can lead to malnutrition, dehydration, and death.

Digestion:

The process of breaking down food into individual molecules small enough to be absorbed through the intestinal wall.

Transport:

The process of moving absorbed nutrients throughout the body through the circulatory and lymph systems.

Absorption:

The process of moving nutrients from the GI tract into the circulatory system.

Colon cancer:

The third leading cause of cancer death, but one of the most curable cancers if detected early.

True or False: the primary function of the large intestine is to absorb water.

True. After food has been completely broken down and its nutrients absorbed in the small intestine, the remaining mass passes into the large intestine, where water and electrolytes continue to be absorbed.

True or False: the major function of bile is to emulsify fats.

True. Bile emulsifies fat by breaking up the large globules into smaller fat droplets.

True or False: feces contain a high amount of bacteria.

True. Fecal matter is about 50% bacteria, and the rest is undigested food, water, and sloughed intestinal cells.

True or False: hormones play an important role in digestion.

True. Several hormones, including gastrin, secretin, cholecystokinin (CCK), and gastric inhibitory peptide, help regulate digestion.

True or False: saliva can alter the taste of food.

True. The enzyme salivary amylase, found in saliva, begins digesting carbohydrate during chewing. As they are broken down to their simple sugars, these carbohydrates will begin to taste sweet.

True or False: without mucus, the stomach would digest itself.

True. The stomach secretes a powerful digestive acid, HCI, that is strong enough to damage the stomach lining. A thick layer of mucus protects it.

Low FODMAP diet:

Used to alleviate the symptoms of IBS. Fermented, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polls food sources are limited in this diet plan.

Ulcerative colitis:

A chronic inflammation of the large intestine, resulting in ulcers in the lining of the colon.

Celiac disease:

A genetic autoimmune disorder that causes damage to the small intestine when foods containing gluten are consumed. The small intestine villi flatten, leading to malabsorption of nutrients.

Ulcers:

A sore or erosion in the lining of the lower region of the stomach or upper part of the duodenum. Helicobacter pylori is often involved. Symptoms include: vomiting, fatigue, bleeding, general weakness, and burning pain.

Diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease:

Diagnosed by blood test and tissue biopsy of the small intestine. Treated by eliminating all gluten from the diet, including: milk, eggs, meat, fruit, vegetables, rice, potatoes, beans, millet, and amaranth.

Gallbladder disease:

Diagnosed most frequently in women and older Americans. Obesity and rapid weight loss are contributing factors.

Constipation:

Infrequent passage of dry, hardened stools. Often due to insufficient fiber or water intake.

Liver:

Largest internal organ in the body, weighing 3 pounds. Important role in digestion, absorption, and transportation of nutrients. Functions: makes proteins, essential in carbohydrate metabolism, manufactures bile salts that are used to digest fats, site of alcohol metabolism and removes and degrades toxins and excess hormones.

Segmentation:

Shifts food back and forth along the GI tract in the intestine.

Crohn's disease:

Similar to ulcerative colitis, but ulcers can occur throughout the GI tract.

Gallstones:

Small crystals that form from bile in the gallbladder made from cholesterol.

Large intestine absorption:

Water, sodium, potassium, and chloride are absorbed here.