DIGESTION

Digestive enzymes break down food particles into smaller units. You will see  that the final breakdown products of protein digestion are single amino acids or small chains of  two  or  three amino  acids.  The  final products  of  carbohydrate digestion  are monosaccharides. The  final digestive products of triacylglycerol digestion are  free fatty acids and glycerol  and monoacylglycerols. Vitamins, minerals, water and some larger fat-like compounds such as cholesterol are not  broken  down before  they are absorbed. Where  does the  digestion of  food  occur  in  our  body? Obviously,  it  occurs  in  the digestive system. You may recall reading about the anatomy of the digestive system in  the Applied Physiology Course, Unit 6. If you have not gone through this Unit, we suggest  you read  the Unit  now,  as  it  will help  in  understanding  the  concepts explained  in  this Unit. The human  digestive system is a coiled, muscular tube (6-9 meters  long when  fully extended) extending  from  the mouth  to  the  anus.  Several specialized compartments occur  along  this  length- mouth, pharynx,  orsophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and anus.