4 - Di sandwich after Labour

Q1. Prior to eating, how was Di maintaining her blood glucose levels?

A: Before eating, Di’s pancreas detected low blood sugar and released glucagon. Glucagon acted on the liver to carry out glycogenolysis, breaking glycogen into glucose, which raised her blood sugar back to normal.

Q2. How does Di break down the bread (carbohydrate) in her sandwich? - Identify chemical & physical digestion

A: The bread is broken down by mechanical digestion through chewing, mixing with saliva, and churning in the stomach. Chemical digestion starts with salivary amylase, continues with pancreatic amylase in the small intestine, and finishes with brush border enzymes, producing monosaccharides ready for absorption.

Q3. How does Di break down the chicken (protein) in her sandwich? - identify main enzymes & where they act

A: Chicken protein is first broken down by pepsin in the stomach. In the small intestine, pancreatic enzymes complete the breakdown to amino acids, which are then absorbed.

Q4. How does Di break down the fat in the mayonnaise? Identify key substances & enzymes

A: Bile salts emulsify the mayonnaise fat into small triglyceride droplets. Pancreatic lipase then breaks the triglycerides into glycerol and fatty acids for absorption.

Q5. How would Di’s partner’s digestion of mayonnaise be affected without a gall bladder?

A: Without a gall bladder, bile is not stored and released in a burst, so fat digestion is slower and less efficient.

Q6. Where is the site of absorption for most of the black tea?

A: Most of the black tea is absorbed in the small intestine.