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.