People commonly know that digestion means the breaking down of food. \u00a0Depending on their training or interest, they may realize that the food is separated into useful molecules that are absorbed. \u00a0From there, the absorbed molecules are either consumed (for instance, in the case of glucose), or else they become part of the body (as with calcium).<\/p>\n
Digestion itself is “broken down” into two types: \u00a0physical and chemical. \u00a0Physical digestion is the process of breaking bites of food into smaller and smaller pieces. It begins with chewing, then continues in the stomach, where the food is mashed into a soup.<\/p>\n
Chemical digestion breaks down larger molecules (that the body can’t absorb) into smaller ones (that it can). \u00a0Mainly, it is done by enzymes, each of which reacts with a specific type of food molecule. \u00a0For instance, lipase breaks down fat molecules. Enzymes often end in -ase<\/em>.<\/p>\n While physical digestion obviously starts in the mouth, chemical digestion does as well. Saliva contains salivary amylase, which begins decomposing starch into sugars.<\/p>\n Much more will be said about digestion in upcoming posts:)<\/p>\n