Biology Lecture Flashcards: Macronutrients and Digestion

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and the organs and processes of the digestive system.

Lipids

A group of molecules used as a source of energy in the body.

Essential fatty acids

Lipid building blocks.

Starch and Cellulose

Two polysaccharides that are found in plants.

Glycogen

The form in which we store sugar as a polysaccharide.

Carbohydrates

Sugars (monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides) that give us quick energy.

Proteins

Substances used to build and repair muscle, make enzymes, and make hormones.

Essential amino acids

Amino acids that your body cannot make on its own.

Minerals

Small, inorganic substances that our bodies cannot produce, such as calcium, iron, potassium, and sodium.

Vitamins

Organic substances that generally cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained in the diet.

Fat soluble vitamins

Vitamins stored in fat that can accumulate in the body.

Water soluble vitamins

Vitamins that do not store much in the body, with excess leaving in urine.

5 tasks of digestive systems

The sequence of Ingestion, Digestion, Absorption, Assimilation, and Elimination.

Amylase

A digestive enzyme found in saliva.

Peristalsis

Wave-like muscle contractions that move food through the digestive tract.

Pyloric sphincter

A structure located between the stomach and small intestine that controls the release of chyme.

Gastrin

A secretion that stimulates stomach glands.

$$HCl$$

Hydrochloric acid, which kills bacteria and activates pepsin in the stomach.

Pepsinogen

An inactive enzyme that changes into pepsin when exposed to $HCl$.

Pepsin

An active enzyme that digests proteins.

Mucus

A substance that protects the stomach lining.

Chyme

The semi-liquid mixture of food and stomach juices.

Liver

An organ that produces bile, detoxifies blood, stores glycogen and vitamins, and processes nutrients.

Bile

A substance stored in the gallbladder that breaks fats into smaller droplets.

Endocrine cells (Pancreas)

Cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin and glucagon.

Exocrine cells (Pancreas)

Cells in the pancreas that secrete pancreatic juice.

Pancreatic juice

A secretion that digests carbs, proteins, and fats, and neutralizes acid.

Segmentation movements

Mixing contractions that occur in the small intestine.

Colon

The main part of the large intestine.

Rectum

The part of the digestive system that stores feces before elimination.