explain the difference between assimilation and absorption in human body...
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Absorption
When food is travelling through the digestive system, they are broken into smaller molecules. This is done by mechanical and chemical digestion. Mechanical digestion is primarily taking place in the mouth, and the chemical digestion is taking place along the digestive system. Chemical digestion is carried out by the enzymes secreted by the system. For instance, carbohydrate breakdown starts at the mouth by the action of Ptyalin enzyme and the mechanical action of teeth. Likewise, proteins, lipids, and other macro molecules are digested into simple and small molecules by enzymes. Because of this breakdown, absorption is facilitated. So after digestion, the simpler molecules like monosaccharides, amino acids, fatty acids, etc. pass into the blood stream or lymph from the digestive system. This process is known as absorption. Without absorption, the ingested food won’t be available for use inside our bodies. Absorption is mainly taking place in our small intestine. Small intestine has special physiological features to increase the absorption and efficiency. It has villi and microvilli, so has a large surface area for the absorption. And also it is highly vascularized. Different molecules are absorbed by various mechanisms in our bodies. Monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, etc.), amino acids, water, ions, are directly absorbed from the intestinal cavity to the blood capillaries. But fatty acids, cholesterol are passed into the lymphatic vessels which are located nearby intestine, and later they are added into the blood circulation. Further, absorption can be done by active transport or passive transport.
Assimilation
The absorbed simple molecules are now in the blood stream, and they are distributed to all the cells in the body. Assimilation is converting these molecules and integrating them with the living tissues. In simple words, it is the process of synthesizing biological compounds / macro molecules from the absorbed simple molecules through constructive metabolism. It is because of this process the body can synthesize essential compounds (enzymes, hormones, nucleic acids, etc.) it needs to function properly. Assimilation helps cell growth and development as well as new cell production.
When food is travelling through the digestive system, they are broken into smaller molecules. This is done by mechanical and chemical digestion. Mechanical digestion is primarily taking place in the mouth, and the chemical digestion is taking place along the digestive system. Chemical digestion is carried out by the enzymes secreted by the system. For instance, carbohydrate breakdown starts at the mouth by the action of Ptyalin enzyme and the mechanical action of teeth. Likewise, proteins, lipids, and other macro molecules are digested into simple and small molecules by enzymes. Because of this breakdown, absorption is facilitated. So after digestion, the simpler molecules like monosaccharides, amino acids, fatty acids, etc. pass into the blood stream or lymph from the digestive system. This process is known as absorption. Without absorption, the ingested food won’t be available for use inside our bodies. Absorption is mainly taking place in our small intestine. Small intestine has special physiological features to increase the absorption and efficiency. It has villi and microvilli, so has a large surface area for the absorption. And also it is highly vascularized. Different molecules are absorbed by various mechanisms in our bodies. Monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, etc.), amino acids, water, ions, are directly absorbed from the intestinal cavity to the blood capillaries. But fatty acids, cholesterol are passed into the lymphatic vessels which are located nearby intestine, and later they are added into the blood circulation. Further, absorption can be done by active transport or passive transport.
Assimilation
The absorbed simple molecules are now in the blood stream, and they are distributed to all the cells in the body. Assimilation is converting these molecules and integrating them with the living tissues. In simple words, it is the process of synthesizing biological compounds / macro molecules from the absorbed simple molecules through constructive metabolism. It is because of this process the body can synthesize essential compounds (enzymes, hormones, nucleic acids, etc.) it needs to function properly. Assimilation helps cell growth and development as well as new cell production.
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