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Chapter 6.1 Getting Introduced to the Gut

BOOK TITLE: Understanding Medical Physiology: A Textbook for Medical Students

Author
1. Bijlani R.L.
ISBN
9788180612213
DOI
10.5005/jp/books/10999_7
Edition
3/e
Publishing Year
2004
Pages
5
Author Affiliations
1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Chapter keywords
interstitial fluid, gastrointestinal tract, necessary transformations, assimilation, transferring nutrients, diffusion, immune response, basic constituents, bloodstream, complex food molecules, intestinal obstruction, gut functions, regulatory mechanisms, secretory functions, scientific exploration, external environment

Abstract

This chapter discusses getting introduced to the gut, where unicellular organisms collect their nourishment from their immediate environment by simple processes such as diffusion, phagocytosis and pinocytosis. Blood always seems to have nutrients available for transfer because it is in constant motion. The gastrointestinal tract is more than a conduit for transfer of nutrients from the external environment to the blood. The gut carries out the necessary transformations before transferring nutrients to the bloodstream. The basic chemical units of our food and our tissues are the same. The two most significant processes that take place in the gastrointestinal tract are digestion and absorption. The most prominent constituents of the secretions acting in the gut are enzymes which break down complex food molecules into their simpler constituents. The two major functions of the gut are secretion and motility, which take place simultaneously, have to be coordinated with each other, and correspondingly share common regulatory mechanisms.

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