How Do You Compare Mechanical & Chemical Digestion?
Digestion is the process our bodies use to obtain nutrients from food. Each step in the process facilitates the next. Digestion begins in the mouth, where mechanical processes start to break down food into smaller pieces. It continues through the digestive tract, where both mechanical and chemical functions continue to process the food, extract nutrients, and send them to awaiting cells. Although the mechanical and chemical functions of digestion are quite different, they must work together to get the job done. Understand that digestion begins in the mouth as a mechanical action. Your teeth tear and crush the food, while your tongue moves the food around to mix it with saliva. Chemicals in saliva, known as enzymes, begin to digest the starches in food. Infant saliva also has the capacity to begin fat digestion, which diminishes with age. The last mechanical action that occurs in the mouth is when the tongue pushes the food back to the throat to be swallowed. Know that each swallow trig
