Digestive System Trivia

The esophagus is approximately 25cm long. Muscles contract in waves to move the food down the esophagus. This means that food would get to a person's stomach, even if they were standing on their head. In the mouth, food is either cooled or warmed to a more suitable temperature. Hundreds of different kinds of enzymes are needed to properly digest food. Cooking destroys food enzymes, forcing the body to make its own. Over time the body may tire of this extra work, leaving room for possible indigestion. We eat about 500kg of food per year. 1.7 liters of saliva is produced each day. Every day 11.5 liters of digested food, liquids and digestive juices flow through the digestive system, but only 100mls is lost in faces. The lips, cheeks and palate all form an enclosure that holds food in place while the teeth and tongue move food materials about. The lips, cheeks and palate also contain nerve endings that act as sensors in determining food temperatures and textures. In effect, the longer the mouth engages in mechanical activities the easier itll be for the remainder of the digestive tract to absorb and process food materials for the bodys use. Indentations called papillae line the surface of the tongue. The papillae contain the taste buds and also create a friction surface for food materials. The process of mechanical digestion takes between 24 and 72 hours, Saliva is secreted in large amounts (1-1.5 litres/day) by three pairs of exocrine salivary glands (parotid, submandibular, and sublingual) in the oral cavity, and is mixed with the chewed food by the tongue. Saliva cleans the oral cavity, moistens the food, and contains digestive enzymes such as salivary amylase, which aids in the

chemical breakdown of polysaccharides such as starch into disaccharides such as maltose. If the villi on the inner lining of the small intestine are flattened out, they would cover about 4500 square meters The stomachs digestive juices are strong enough to dissolve the metal zinc It takes about 24 hours to completely digest a typical meal The digestive tract is similar to a long tube which is approximately 30 feet long in total running through the middle of the body Liver: The liver is the largest organ in the body and performs important functions such as making bile, changing food into energy and cleaning alcohol and poisons from the blood. The average male will eat about 50 tons of food during his life A typical person harbors more than 400 distinct species of bacteria in the colon The liver performs more than 500 functions The rectum: extracts moisture from food residues which are later excreted as feces The digestive tract starts at the mouth, where food and drink enter the body, and finishes at the anus where leftover food and waste leave the body. The cells lining the esophagus differ from those lining the stomach, as stomach cells must protect against acid. Severe gastroesophageal reflux disease, which causes stomach acid to repeatedly gets into the esophagus, can stimulate the cells of the lower esophagus to change into cells like those of the stomach lining as a protective mechanism. The salivary glands in the mouth produce approximate 1.2 liters of saliva daily, according to "Histology." In addition to lubricating the mouth, saliva also contains enzymes that break down starches and kill certain potentially dangerous bacteria. It also provides calcium and phosphate to keep the teeth strong. The taste buds in the mouth vary in concentration among people. According to the medical textbook "Histology," 25 percent of people

are "supertasters," with lots of taste buds. Another 25 percent are "nontasters," with a reduced ability to discriminate among certain tastes. The stomach has sensory receptors that send information through the vagus nerve to the brainstem, the bottom part of the brain. If the information indicates the presence of toxins, the brainstem triggers nausea and vomiting.

SOURCES
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Human-Digestive-System257343.html http://www.livestrong.com/article/130205-interesting-digestive-system/ http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112205/interesting_facts.htm

HEALTH AND WELLNESS Trivia

About 80% of Americans are aware of the Food Guide Pyramid, but only 8% follow its recommendations. Junk food, like chips, aren't included in the food groups, which is why schools have removed them from their vending machines. Did you know carrots were purple before the 17th century Drink 2 8-ounce glasses of vit D-fortified lowfat milk every day. This provides your body w/ 600mg of calcium and 5mcg of vit D Food Waste Facts There are 870 million people in the world today who are undernourished, according to the World Food Programme. That means one out of every eight people is not getting enough food more than three times as many people as live in the United States. 1 pack of instant noodles contains 10g of protein. Protein is important for body building. Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the vegetable group. Generally, the USDA recommends between 2-3 cups of vegetables per day.

In general, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens can be considered as 1 cup from the vegetable group. Physical activity simply means movement of the body that uses energy. Walking, gardening, briskly pushing a baby stroller, climbing the stairs, playing soccer, or dancing the night away are all good examples of being active. For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous and add up to at least 30 minutes a day. At a minimum, do moderate intensity activity for 30 minutes most days, or preferably every day. This is in addition to your usual daily activities. Increasing the intensity or the amount of time of activity can have additional health benefits and may be needed to control body weight. Anorexia Nervosa is it a psychological disorder , or simply an eating disorder gotten out of hand? And how does it differ from Bulimia Nervosa? Participate in our anorexia quiz to find out how well you understand this condition; learn its modern-day implications and how, in these modern times, it affects both sexes equally. Every square inch of human skin consists of twenty-five feet of blood vessels. On average, women say 7,000 words per day. Men speak just over 2,000. A cough releases an explosive charge of air that moves at speeds up to 60mph. A sneeze can exceed speeds of 100mph. Your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself while standing still. The eye of a human can distinguish between 500 shades of gray. The width of your arm span stretched out is equal to the length of your whole body. The brain only takes up about 2 percent of our total body weight, but uses 20% of our body's energy.

SOURCES

http://www.ispahealth.com/health-tips http://www.medindia.net/medical-quiz/quiz-on-anorexia.as http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kidzworld.com %2Farticle%2F5528-a-guide-to-eating-healthy-with-the-foodpyramid%23ixzz2rDHSanxr&h=NAQHdbBDR

Submitted BY: Group 3 Alyzza Joy R. Albay FLorie Otanez Sarah onayan Myrriel mejia Hannah medallada Catherine batobato Angela catillo