Digestion and Nutrition
Prompt Choices: Choose two to discuss.
- Review the following Nurse Lori Video: Nursing & Nutrition: Digestion. Provide a thorough overview of how you envision implementing what you are learning this week into your future career as a healthcare professional.
- Pick one of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, lipids, or proteins) and discuss how it would pass through the digestive system from mouth to anus. Be sure to discuss what is occurring both mechanically and chemically along the way. (USLO 3.1)
- Discuss the role of normal microbiota and the role of the immune and cardiovascular systems in digestion. (USLOs 3.2, 3.3)
- Pick four of the following homeostatic imbalances of the digestive system and describe what is occurring the body of a person who is dealing with it (USLO 3.2):
- Food allergies
- Celiac/Gluten-related disorders
- Heartburn/GERD
- Peptic ulcers
- Gallstones
- Diarrhea and constipation
- Dental caries
- Explain the process of turning food products into energy (ATP) using cellular respiration. (USLO 3.3) Digestion and Nutrition
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How can what I’m learning this week be implemented in my future healthcare career?,
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How does one macronutrient (carbohydrates lipids or proteins) pass through the digestive system?,
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What occurs both mechanically and chemically during digestion?,
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What roles do normal microbiota and the immune and cardiovascular systems play in digestion?,
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How is food converted into energy (ATP) through cellular respiration?
Answer
Implementing Nutritional Knowledge in Healthcare
Understanding the digestive system and the role of nutrition is vital for any healthcare professional. As a future healthcare provider, I envision applying this knowledge by educating patients on balanced diets, identifying nutritional deficiencies, and preventing gastrointestinal disorders. Knowledge of digestion helps in assessing symptoms like malabsorption, bloating, or metabolic issues and linking them to underlying nutritional or digestive causes. For example, teaching patients about fiber intake, hydration, and portion control can prevent conditions such as constipation, GERD, and obesity. Moreover, understanding how nutrients are metabolized enables evidence-based dietary recommendations for managing chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and inflammatory bowel conditions. This holistic view aligns with patient-centered care, ensuring that dietary guidance supports both recovery and long-term health.
Digestion of Carbohydrates
The digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth, where salivary amylase starts breaking down starches into maltose through chemical digestion while chewing performs mechanical breakdown. In the stomach, carbohydrate digestion pauses due to the acidic environment that inactivates amylase. Once chyme enters the small intestine, the pancreas releases pancreatic amylase, which continues breaking down complex carbohydrates into disaccharides. The intestinal brush border enzymes—such as maltase, sucrase, and lactase—further convert these into monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, and galactose). These simple sugars are absorbed through the intestinal villi into the bloodstream, transported to the liver via the hepatic portal vein, and either stored as glycogen or used immediately for energy. Undigested carbohydrates pass into the large intestine, where gut microbiota ferment some fibers, producing gases and short-chain fatty acids beneficial to colon health. Finally, any remaining waste is expelled through the anus.
Role of Microbiota, Immune, and Cardiovascular Systems in Digestion
The normal microbiota in the gut play a critical role in maintaining digestive health by aiding in the breakdown of fibers, synthesizing vitamins (like K and B12), and preventing the overgrowth of harmful bacteria. The immune system works closely with the gut through the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), which monitors and responds to pathogens while maintaining tolerance toward beneficial microbes and food antigens. Meanwhile, the cardiovascular system supports digestion by transporting absorbed nutrients throughout the body and supplying oxygen and nutrients to digestive organs. Together, these systems maintain homeostasis, ensuring that nutrients are effectively processed, absorbed, and utilized while protecting the body from disease.
Cellular Respiration and Energy Production
Once nutrients—particularly glucose—enter body cells, they undergo cellular respiration to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body’s primary energy currency. This multistep process includes glycolysis, occurring in the cytoplasm, which breaks glucose into pyruvate while generating a small amount of ATP. In the mitochondria, pyruvate enters the Krebs cycle (citric acid cycle), producing electron carriers NADH and FADH₂. These carriers transfer electrons to the electron transport chain, where oxygen serves as the final electron acceptor. This process produces the bulk of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. Overall, one glucose molecule yields up to 36–38 ATP molecules, fueling cellular functions like muscle contraction, active transport, and biosynthesis.
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