In which two organs is food broken down? (1 point)
O mouth and stomach
Oesophagus and small intestine
Oesophagus and stomach
O small intestine and large intestine
The correct answer is: O mouth and stomach
The correct answer is:
Oesophagus and stomach
The correct answer is "Oesophagus and stomach".
The food we eat goes through a process called digestion, which breaks down the food into smaller molecules that our body can absorb and use for energy. The digestion process starts in the mouth and continues in the stomach.
To understand the breakdown of food in the body, it's necessary to have some basic knowledge of the digestive system. Here's a step-by-step explanation of how food is broken down in these two organs:
1. Mouth: In the mouth, food is mechanically broken down by chewing and mixed with saliva, which contains enzymes that initiate the digestion of carbohydrates.
2. Oesophagus: Once the food is chewed and mixed with saliva, it travels down the muscular tube called the oesophagus. The primary function of the oesophagus is to transport food from the mouth to the stomach.
3. Stomach: The stomach is a muscular organ that further breaks down the food. It secretes gastric juices, including hydrochloric acid and enzymes such as pepsin, which help break down proteins. The stomach muscles also mechanically mix the food and continue to break it down into a semi-liquid state known as chyme.
4. Small Intestine: After the stomach, the partially digested food, or chyme, moves into the small intestine. It's in the small intestine that most of the digestion and absorption of nutrients take place. The small intestine receives secretions from the liver and pancreas, which aid in further digestion. Enzymes in the small intestine break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into smaller molecules, such as glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids, respectively. These smaller molecules are then absorbed into the bloodstream.
It's important to note that the large intestine, also known as the colon, primarily absorbs water and electrolytes from the remaining undigested food material, but it does not play a significant role in the breakdown of food.
So, to summarize, food is broken down in the oesophagus (where it primarily undergoes transportation) and the stomach (where mechanical and chemical digestion takes place).