The Chemistry of the Human Digestive System

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Over the course of time there have been many pondering questions and theories about everyday life. Using Chemistry, the study of matter, those questions have been able to be answered. From the mixture of gases in the air we breathe to the organic substance of plastic, chemistry can be seen everywhere. However, most people misunderstand the power of chemistry in our own bodies. How is it that a simple loaf of bread, once consumed, can turn into fuel for the human body? Using the digestive system and its many organs through the process of digestion and metabolism is how our bodies receive the energy it needs to continue. Chemistry can be seen as food starts its process from entering to leaving the body, through the rate of our metabolism, and also by the transfer of energy. The chemistry in the digestive system is a very important process, because without it there would be no human life.

Compared to all other systems in the body, the digestive system is one of the most diverse and important. According to Robert Sullivan the digestive system is a set group of organs whose function is based on the process of turning food, absorbing nutrients for energy and getting rid of the bodies waste (Sullivan, 2008, p.33). The organs that are in the digestive system are the following: esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, colon or large intestine, rectum and anus (Ballard, 2003). Imagine eating a nice dinner with delicious smelling food. Now, imagine eating the food. Have you ever wondered where your food has gone once you consume it? Through your digestive system where the mass of food undergoes a process called digestion. Digestion is the chemical and physical breakdown of food into forms such as ene...

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... more. Even today more chemists are elaborating on new discoveries and important facts of the many process and reactions in the digestive system. Perhaps the latest discovery in this field would be the new diet plans that tend to speed up the process of metabolism which makes cells, including fat, break down faster resulting in a thinner waist. The digestive system is unique and different from all other systems in the body because it has many organs that each have their own important role, a specific process of where food travels, and finally multiple reactions through metabolism and other processes through ATP that convert the food we eat into fuel. Without chemistry the digestive system would fail and there would be no human life. Therefore, it is important to accept the essential role that chemistry plays not only a huge role in human life, but in all life.

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