EOY IGCSE BIOLOGY – SECTION 3: HUMAN NUTRITION, TRANSPORT, DISEASES AND IMMUNITY

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering Human Nutrition, Transport, Diseases, and Immunity based on the EOY IGCSE Biology syllabus.

Balanced Diet

Consists of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and water in the correct amounts.

Carbohydrates

Nutrients that provide energy.

Proteins

Nutrients needed for growth and repair.

Fats

Nutrients used to store energy and provide insulation.

Iron

A mineral needed to make haemoglobin.

Calcium

A mineral required for strong bones and teeth.

Digestion

The breakdown of large insoluble food molecules into small soluble molecules that can be absorbed.

Physical digestion

The process of breaking food into smaller pieces without changing its chemical composition, such as chewing in the mouth and churning in the stomach.

Chemical digestion

The use of enzymes to break down food chemically.

Amylase

An enzyme that breaks starch into maltose.

Protease

An enzyme that breaks proteins into amino acids.

Lipase

An enzyme that breaks fats into fatty acids and glycerol.

Absorption

The process that mainly occurs in the small intestine where nutrients enter the body.

Villi

Finger-like projections in the small intestine that increase the surface area for absorption.

Double circulatory system

A system where blood passes through the heart twice during one complete circulation.

Heart chambers

The four sections of the heart: the Right atrium, Right ventricle, Left atrium, and Left ventricle.

Left ventricle

The heart chamber with the thickest muscular wall that pumps blood to the entire body.

Arteries

Blood vessels with thick elastic walls that carry blood away from the heart under high pressure.

Veins

Blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart under low pressure and contain valves to prevent backflow.

Capillaries

Extremely narrow blood vessels with walls only one cell thick, allowing efficient exchange of substances.

Red blood cells

Cells that carry oxygen using haemoglobin.

White blood cells

Cells that defend the body against disease by destroying pathogens and producing antibodies.

Platelets

Blood components responsible for blood clotting.

Plasma

The liquid part of blood that transports nutrients, hormones, carbon dioxide, and waste products.

Pathogens

Microorganisms that cause disease, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protoctists.

Antibodies

Proteins produced by white blood cells that specifically destroy pathogens.

Active immunity

Long-lasting immunity that occurs when the body produces its own antibodies after infection or vaccination.

Passive immunity

Immediate but temporary protection that occurs when antibodies are received from another source, such as breast milk.

Cholera

A bacterial disease spread through contaminated food or water that causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration.

HIV

A virus that attacks the immune system by destroying certain white blood cells.