Question

How do carbohydrates, proteins, and fats get digested in human beings?

Answer 1

Digestion of food:

1. The digestive system in the case of human beings begins from the mouth or buccal cavity and extends up to the anus. This is called the alimentary canal.
2. The process of digestion starts in the mouth only with the help of certain digestive enzymes.
3. The digestion process becomes easier with the help of enzymes which are biocatalysts.
4. Various enzymes are involved in the digestion of various molecules.

Digestion of carbohydrates:

1. Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth only and continues up to the stomach and small intestine.
2. Salivary amylase present in the saliva, amylase, and maltase present in the small intestine helps in the digestion of carbohydrates.

Digestion of fats:

1. Fat digestion starts in the stomach.
2. Gastric glands present in the stomach secrete gastric lipase that aids in the digestion of fats.
3. In the small intestine, pancreatic lipase is present which helps in the breakdown of the emulsified fats.

Digestion of proteins:

1. Protein digestion mainly takes place in the stomach.
2. Gastric glands of the stomach secrete enzymes such as pepsin which digests the proteins.