A level 200 student who felt very hungry after his morning lectures decided to buy some breakfast from a roadside food vendor. He chose to eat a bowl of rice water with milk and sugar, and a sandwich of toasted bread and fried egg. Later in the day, he reported to the hospital with abdominal pains and watery non-bloody diarrhea. He explains that these symptoms occur whenever he takes in milk. His elder brother who brought him admitted he experiences similar problems. a. Describe briefly the digestion of bread from the mouth to its absorption in the small intestines b. Mention 3 pancreatic enzymes that will required to digest his breakfast c. Provide the most reasonable physiological explanation for his symptoms d. What advice will you give to prevent future recurrence of his symptoms?
A level 200 student who felt very hungry after his morning lectures decided to buy some breakfast from a roadside food vendor. He chose to eat a bowl of rice water with milk and sugar, and a sandwich of toasted bread and fried egg. Later in the day, he reported to the hospital with abdominal pains and watery non-bloody diarrhea. He explains that these symptoms occur whenever he takes in milk. His elder brother who brought him admitted he experiences similar problems.
a. Describe briefly the digestion of bread from the mouth to its absorption in the small intestines
b. Mention 3 pancreatic enzymes that will required to digest his breakfast
c. Provide the most reasonable physiological explanation for his symptoms
d. What advice will you give to prevent future recurrence of his symptoms?
The complex food materials ingested by an individual are broken down into simpler substances and are absorbed in different parts of the stomach and intestine. The simpler forms of the digested food are absorbed by the absorptive cells of the mucosa. All the essential substances like carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, proteins, and vitamins are digested by digestive enzymes and absorbed in the stomach and intestine.
A bowl of rice water is a rich source of carbohydrates, iron, and vitamins. Milk is a source of a balanced amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Sugar is rich in carbohydrates, and a sandwich of toasted bread and fried egg will provide a significant amount of protein, carbohydrates, fibers, and vitamins and minerals.
a)The digestion of bread from the mouth to its absorption in the small intestines:
•Digestion: The bread will be digested in the duodenum part of the small intestine by the action of pancreatic amylases. The protein will be digested in the stomach by the active enzyme pepsin. Milk is also digested in the stomach after conversion of prorenin into renin by the enzyme pepsin. The protein is broken down into peptides, peptones, and finally, amino acids. Emulsification and digestion of fat occur in the duodenum of the small intestine by the action of bile salts secreted by the liver.
•Absorption: The carbohydrates are broken down into monosaccharides, the protein is broken down into amino acids, and the fats are broken into monoglyceride fats. These simpler forms are absorbed by the brush bordered epithelium of the small intestine. The surface area for the absorption will be increased by the Villi and Microvilli present on the mucosal wall.
b) The three pancreatic enzymes that will be required to digest his breakfast:
•Proteases or proteolytic enzymes are the protein-digesting enzymes necessary for the breakdown of protein-rich food in his breakfast.
•Pancreatic amylases are necessary for carbohydrate digestion.
•Pancreatic lipases are necessary for fat digestion.
c)Most reasonable physiological explanation for his symptoms:
He reported to the hospital with abdominal pains and watery non-bloody diarrhea, and he explained that these symptoms occur whenever he takes in milk. Hence, these are the symptoms of lactose intolerance. He has difficulty in digesting lactose because the small intestine is not making enough amount of lactase enzyme for the digestion and break down of the lactose.
d)Advice to prevent future recurrence of his symptoms:
Lactose intolerant patients need to avoid eating dairy products that are rich in lactose, or they can take lactase enzyme-containing medications before eating.
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