The pizza that you ate for lunch is being digested. Summarize what happens to it in your stomach.(1 p
In your stomach, the pizza goes through a process called digestion. The stomach secretes digestive juices, such as hydrochloric acid and enzymes, which break down the pizza into smaller pieces. This helps to break down the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats present in the pizza. The stomach muscles then churn the pizza, mixing it with the digestive juices and further breaking it down. The partially digested pizza then moves into the small intestine, where additional enzymes continue the digestion process. The small intestine absorbs the nutrients present in the pizza, such as sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids, which are then transported to the bloodstream. The remaining undigested materials, such as fiber, move into the large intestine where water and electrolytes are absorbed, and finally, the undigested waste is excreted from the body as stool.
When the pizza enters your stomach, it is broken down into smaller pieces through a process called mechanical digestion, where the muscles in your stomach churn and squeeze the food. At the same time, gastric juices, including hydrochloric acid and enzymes, are released to start the process of chemical digestion. These gastric juices break down proteins and fats present in the pizza into smaller molecules.
The partially digested pizza then moves into the small intestine, where further digestion takes place. The small intestine receives digestive juices from the pancreas and the gallbladder. The enzymes from the pancreas break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into even smaller molecules, which can be absorbed by the small intestine's walls. The gallbladder releases bile, which helps in the digestion and absorption of fats.
The smaller molecules, such as amino acids (from proteins), glucose (from carbohydrates), and fatty acids (from fats), are then absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine. From there, they are transported to different cells in the body to be used as energy or stored for later use.
The undigested parts of the pizza, such as fiber, move into the large intestine, where water is absorbed, and bacteria help break down any remaining nutrients. Finally, the waste products, including indigestible fiber and dead bacteria, are eliminated from the body as feces through the rectum and anus.