Human Digestive System - Science Learning 6

How are fats digested?

Answer: First of all, fats are neither digested in mouth nor in stomach. When the fats enter the small intestine, bile salts are secreted in the intestine that react on fats and emulsify them. These emulsified fats are treated by an enzyme named 'Lipase'. Lipase converts emulsified fats into fatty acids and glycerol.

How is food absorbed?

Answer: All the digested food is absorbed in the small intestine. There are villi present on the walls of small intestine which help increasing the surface area of the small intestine and aid in absorption of food as well.

Where is digestive food transported?

Answer: Digested food is taken from small intestine to liver. In small intestine the food is absorbed into the blood stream through villi. The blood takes the food contents to the liver. Then the liver take up the responsibilities of distribution of food components along the whole body.

What happens to glucose in liver?

Answer: Glucose is needed in the process of respiration. There is a constant ratio of glucose in the blood. If the concentration of glucose decreases then liver send the glucose into the blood to maintain the ratio. If the concentration of glucose increases in the blood, liver secretes a hormone named 'Insulin' which converts excess glucose into glycogen.

What is glycogen and where is it stored?

Answer: Glycogen is a form of fat. When there is an excess amount of glucose in the blood, insulin convert glucose into glycogen. This glycogen is stored in the liver for later use.