zbio - Unit 6 - Life Substances and Digestion
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31 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Nutrient | substances in food that provide the raw materials and energy the body needs to live |
| Calorie | the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius |
| Carbohydrate | a nutrient that is composed of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen, and are a major source of energy |
| Glucose | a sugar that is the major source of energy for a cell |
| Fat | a nutrient composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen forms the cell membrane and is used as insulation in our bodies |
| Protein | a nutrient that contains nitrogen as well as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and is used for tissue repair and growth in the body. |
| Amino Acid | the building blocks of proteins |
| Nucleic Acid | very large organic molecule that contains the instructions cells need to carry out all the functions of life. |
| Nucleotide | building block of DNA and RNA |
| Vitamin | act as helper molecules in a variety of chemical reactions in the body |
| Mineral | nutrient that is not made by living things |
| Water | the most important nutrient in the body because all chemical reactions take place in this substance |
| Digestion | the process by which the body breaks down food into small nutrient molecules |
| Absorption | the process by which nutrients pass through the wall of your digestion system into the blood |
| Mouth | both mechanical and chemical digestion begin here |
| Saliva | a liquid made in your mouth that helps both mechanical and chemical digestion |
| Enzyme | proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body |
| Epiglottis | a flap of tissue that seals off your windpipe when you swallow. |
| Esophagus | a muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach |
| Mucus | a thick, slippery substance that makes food easier to swallow and move through our digestive system |
| Peristalsis | involuntary muscle contractions in the digestive system that help move food through the system |
| Stomach | a muscular pouch in which most mechanical digestion occurs |
| Small Intestine | the longest part of your digestive system where most chemical digestion takes place |
| Liver | the largest organ in the human body that produces bile for digestion |
| Bile | a substance produced by the liver that breaks up fat particles |
| Gall Bladder | an organ that job is to store bile |
| Pancreas | an organ that produces many enzymes to break down starches, proteins, and fats |
| Villi | tiny finger-like projections in the small intestine that absorb nutrient molecules |
| Large Intestine | an organ that functions to absorb water from digested food |
| Rectum | an organ that compresses and stores solid waste |
| Anus | the muscular opening at the end of the rectum through which waste is eliminated from the body |
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