Importance of Metabolism and Digestive System for a Body

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Define Homeostasis

Homeostasis refers to the property of cells, tissues, and organizes that regulates its internal environment and tends to keep up the regulation of the steadiness and constancy required to function properly. The body must constantly keep track of its internal conditions to keep up homeostasis. From body temperature to blood pressure to levels of distinct nutrients, each physiological condition encompasses a specific set point. A set point refers to the physiological value around which the typical range fluctuates. A typical range is a constrained set of values that is optimally healthy and stable. For instance, the set point for the normal human body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F) However, physiological boundaries, as an example, temperature, hormones, metabolic rate, disease, and blood pressure, can affect this value, resulting in varying inside a typical range a couple of degrees above or below that point. The control center within the brain plays roles in controlling physiological boundaries and keeping them within the standard range. As the body attempts to maintain homeostasis, any important deviation from the typical range will be resisted and homeostasis re-established through a process called a feedback loop.

The notion of homeostasis has also been applied to ecological settings. Homeostasis is a core subject necessary for understanding the several regulatory mechanisms in physiology. The term ‘homeostasis’ was introduced by Walter Cannon and expanded on Claude Bernard’s notion of ‘constancy’ of the internal environment in a very clear and detailed manner. However, since then, the concept has changed slightly to consolidate the ecosystem’s abiotic parts; the term, homeostasis has been used by many ecologists to depict the reciprocation that occurs between an ecosystem’s biotic and abiotic parts to maintain the state of affairs.

What is meant by the term metabolism?

Metabolism is a term used to portray all chemical reactions associated with maintaining the living state of the cells and the organism. It is the process by which your body changes what you consume into energy. During this intricate biochemical process, calories in food and beverages merge with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function. Metabolism is firmly connected to nutrition and the availability of nutrients.

To stay alive and functioning, your body is required to transmit millions of chemical processes, which are collectively identified as metabolism. The largest component of metabolism, (50%-80%) of the energy used, is the basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the energy your body gets rid of to maintain functioning at rest.

What factors affect the metabolism in humans? Provide evidence.

Your metabolism rate is influenced by many factors including-

Muscle mass: the quantity of tissue on your body. Muscle needs more energy to function than fat. So the more muscle tissue you carry, the more energy your body needs to exist.
Age: as you grow older, your metabolic rate normally slows down. This is due to the loss of muscle tissue and changes to hormonal and neurological processes. In the process of development, children go through periods of growth with extreme rates of metabolism.
Body size: people with bigger bodies tend to have a larger BMR since they have larger organs and fluid volume to contain.
Gender: men usually have a faster metabolism than women.
Genetics: some families have a faster BMR than others due to some genetic disorders that also affect metabolism.
Physical activity: exercise is able to increase muscle mass and power up your metabolic engines burning kilojoules at a faster rate.
Hormonal factors: hormonal imbalances such as hypo and hyperthyroidism can affect your metabolism.
Environmental factors: changes in the environment such as increased heat or cold forces the body to work harder to maintain its normal temperature and increases the BMR.
Drugs: caffeine and nicotine can increase your BMR whilst medications such as antidepressants and steroids increase weight gain.
Diet: the food you consume can highly influence your BMR.

What are enzymes?

Most chemical reactions within cells do not occur suddenly. Instead, they have a catalyst to urge them to get started. In many cases, heat is also a catalyst, but this is often inefficient since heat cannot be applied to molecules in a controlled fashion. Hence, most chemical reactions need interaction with an enzyme. Enzymes bind with specific reactants until a chemical reaction occurs, then free themselves. The enzymes are not changed by the chemical reaction. Enzymes are a sort of protein present in all living organisms. They act as a catalyst in living organisms, regulating the rate at which chemical reactions proceed without being changed. Enzymes help speed up the process of chemical reactions in the human body. They bind to molecules and change them in specific ways. Enzymes are built up of proteins doubled into complex shapes; they are present throughout the body. Enzymes speed up (catalyze) chemical reactions; in some cases, enzymes can make a chemical reaction much faster than it would have been without it.

What role do they play in the metabolism of the body?

Enzymes help to break down large nutrient molecules such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, into smaller molecules. This process occurs during the digestion of food in the stomach. Enzymes speed up the rate of metabolism by lowering the activation energy. When an enzyme binds to the substrate, it stresses and destabilizes the bond in the substrate. This reduces the overall energy of the level of the substrate transition state. Without enzymes, reactions would not proceed quickly enough. Enzymes speed up a chemical reaction without being altered.

Digestive System

The digestive system in made up of the gastrointestinal tract, also called GI tract or digestive tract. The GI tract is a chain of organs linked in a long twisting tube from the mouth to the anus. The organs that make up the Gi tract Digestion works by moving food through the GI tract. It begins in the mouth with chewing, passes through the esophagus, then it travels to the stomach, through the small intestine, then the large, and lastly the anus. The liver, pancreas, and gallbladder are the solid organs of the digestive system.

The function of the digestive system is to convert the food you consume into nutrients, which the body requires for growth, energy, and cell repair.

Mouth

The journey of the digestive system begins at the mouth. Chewing breaks the food into small pieces that can be digested easily, saliva mixes with food to begin the process of breaking it down into a form your body can absorb and use. When you swallow, your tongue pushes the food into your throat and into your esophagus.

Oesophagus

The esophagus is a muscular tube lengthening from the throat to the stomach, located in your throat near your trachea (windpipe). The epiglottis is a small flap that folds over your windpipe as you swallow to avoid you choking. A series of muscular contractions within the esophagus called peristalsis delivers food to your stomach.

Stomach

The stomach stores food while it is being mixed with stomach acids and enzymes. The stomach secretes acid and powerful enzymes that help in breaking down the food even more. When the substances of the stomach are processed enough, they’re let out into the small intestine.

Small intestine

The small intestine has three parts. The first part is called the duodenum. The jejunum is the middle part and ileum is the end. It is a 22-foot-long muscular tube that breaks down food, even more, using enzymes released by the pancreas and bile from the liver. Bile is a compound that aids in the digestion of fat and eliminates waste from the blood. Peristalsis also works in this organ, transporting food through and combining it with other digestive juices.

Pancreas

The pancreas secretes digestive enzymes into the small intestine. These enzymes break down protein, fat, and carbohydrates from the food we consume.

Liver

The function of the liver within the digestive system is to produce bile and to cleanse and purify the blood coming from the small intestine carrying the nutrients just absorbed. The liver is known as the body’s chemical manufacturer. It extracts the raw materials absorbed by the intestine and produces all the various chemicals the body requires to function.

Gallbladder

The gallbladder is located right under the liver and stores bile. When food is consumed it releases bile into the small intestine to help absorb and digest fats.

Large Intestine

The large intestine contains the appendix, cecum, colon, and rectum. The appendix is like a pouch attached to the cecum. The cecum is the first part, the colon is next, and the rectum is the end of the large intestine. It is in charge of processing waste so that clearing the bowels is easy and convenient. The large intestine is a 6-foot-long muscular tube that joins the small intestine to the rectum.

Any remaining stool, or waste left over from the digestive process, is passed through the colon by peristalsis, initially in a liquid state and at last in a solid form. The stool is put away in the sigmoid colon until a ‘mass movement’ discharges it into the rectum once or twice a day. It usually takes roughly 36 hours for stool to pass through the colon. The stool itself is mostly food debris and bacteria. These bacteria perform numerous useful functions, such as synthesizing various vitamins, processing waste substances and food particles, and protecting against harmful bacteria. Once the colon becomes full of stool, or feces, it empties its contents into the rectum to start the process.

Rectum

The rectum is an 8-inch chamber that connects the colon to the anus. The purpose of the rectum is to receive stool from the colon to the anus, and inform that there is a stool that needs to be discharged from the body and to hold the stool until it is discharged. When gas or stool come into the rectum, sensors send a message to the brain. The brain then decides if the contents shall be released or not.

If it can, the sphincters ease, and the rectum contracts, disposing of its contents. If the contents cannot be disposed of, the sphincter contracts and the rectum accommodates so that the sensation temporarily disappears.

Anus

The anus is the final part of the digestive process. It is a 2-inch long canal be made up of pelvic floor muscles and the two anal sphincters. The inside layer of the upper anus is able to detect rectal contents. It informs you whether the contents are liquid, gas or solid. The anus is bounded by sphincter muscles that are essential in allowing control of stool. The pelvic floor muscle makes an angle between the rectum and the anus that prevents stool from discharging when it is not supposed to.

How does the digestive system maintain homeostasis?

The digestive system helps maintain homeostasis by transporting nutrients from the external environment to the internal environment. Usually, it does not differ in uptake depending on body requirements, but absorption of dietary iron and calcium is controlled according to the body’s requirements.

What other systems does the digestive system body system rely on to maintain homeostasis?

The digestive system breaks down food into similar substances that the body can use to including proteins. This helps the respiratory system because the lungs need nutrients. The respiratory system provides the digestive system with oxygen. It also works with the endocrine system, it sends a message to the pancreas to release a hormone called, Insulin which works with the digestive system and maintains energy homeostasis. The digestive system also works very closely with the circulatory system to distribute the digested nutrients through the blood. The circulatory system also transmits chemical signals from our hormonal system that control our levels of digestion.

In detail explain the consequences on the body when the digestive system is not functioning correctly.

When your digestive system is not functioning properly, it can lead to many diseases and problems. Some problems that may occur if your digestive system is not functioning properly are, your body will not be able to keep its fluids down, and you may become dehydrated. If your body is unable to receive the nutrient it requires, you may become malnourished. Malnutrition can lead to diseases like Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, and Hypertension. It can also cause a sporadic problem like heartburn, it may indicate a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. Some other problems that may occur are bloody stools, frequent vomiting, incessant sweating, severe abdominal cramps, and sudden weight loss.

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