NUTR 30300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Gastrointestinal Tract, Sugar Alcohol, Jejunum
27 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Main roles of the gi tract are to. Prevent microorganisms or other harmful compounds i food from entering tissues of the body. Digestion- a multi-step process of breaking down foods into absorbable components using mechanical and chemical means in the gi tract. Gi tract is nearly 30 feet long with extensive surface area for nutrient absorption. Cell lining gi tract are shred into the lumen (interior of the intestinal tract) and replaced with new, healthy cells every 3 to 5 days. In a healthy gi tract most of the complex nutrients are broken down to smaller molecules prior to absorption. This includes the macronutrients that provide energy as well as some of the vitamins. Some vitamins are found as complexes/conjugated to other molecules and release is necessary prior absorption. Complete digestion of nutrients in food requires the structures, and secretions into the mouth, stomach and duodenum of the small intestine (si)
