About the Human Anatomy and Physiology

Pizza Ingredients and Digestion


Pizza often includes ingredients like dough, pepperoni, cheese, and salad. Jim must have consumed one of them while eating his pizza. Because the ingredients have varied nutrients, the digestion of the pizza is controlled by its ingredients.

Digestion of Dough


Wheat flour, cornmeal, salt, and other additions are used in modest amounts to make the dough. Therefore, starch can be used to describe the nutrients in the dough. Dough digestion starts in the mouth, where the salivary amylase enzyme, which is produced by the salivary glands, breaks down starch. The saliva in the mouth works as a food lubricant. The mixture of the chewed starch and amylase enters the stomach where it is called chyme. From the stomach, the chyme enters the duodenum where it meets the pancreatic enzymes which break polysaccharide into disaccharide. The disaccharides are then broken down into absorbable monosaccharides by lactase, maltase, and sucrase enzymes produced in the small intestines. The indigestible carbohydrates move to the colon where they are partly broken down by bacteria and others excreted in feces (Wong & Jenkins, 2007).

Digestion of Pepperoni


Unlike the dough, the digestion of the pepperoni will start in Jim’s stomach since it is majorly composed of proteins. Because of the acidic nature of the stomach, the pancreas produces a bicarbonate buffer to neutralize the acidity of food entering the small intestine. Both the pancreas and the cells lining of the small intestines secrete enzymes that break the proteins into peptides and further into amino acids. The small intestines then carry the amino acids into the bloodstream (Ganapathy, 2012).

Digestion of Cheese


The final component of Jim’s pizza is the cheese which majorly consists of minerals such as phosphorus, manganese, sodium, iron, and a small percentage of nutrients like proteins and vitamins. The digestion of the minerals and vitamins begins in the mouth and proceeds in the stomach where hydrochloric acid and bile from the pancreas aid in the process. The minerals and vitamins then move to the small intestines, where they are absorbed into the bloodstream and excess excreted in urine. If Jim consumed rotten cheese and pepperoni, he would develop food poisoning, which occurs first in the digestive system, particularly the intestines. He would likely complain of intestinal rumbling, abdominal pain and bloating, excess gas, and diarrhea. The rotten cheese and pepperoni would mostly contain bacteria that manifest in the intestines. Symptoms of food poisoning will appear in Jim’s body from 30 minutes to 6 hours after consuming the bad food.

Celiac Disease and its Effects on Digestion


Celiac disease is an immune system problem that hinders the small intestines from adequately digesting nutrients from food. Since Jim has the condition, eating pizza will result in an attack of the small intestines by the body because of the presence of gluten in the pizza. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, which is used in preparing the dough. Some of the symptoms Jim would experience include itchy skin, iron deficiency, joint pains, seizures, mouth sores, and depression. Other signs include diarrhea and weight loss which occur as a result of malabsorption. The symptoms differ widely in presentation and intensity. Therefore, Jim might not portray all the symptoms related to the disease at the same time. The control of the illness is taking gluten-free food. Jim will have to substitute his diet with gluten-free foods such as seeds, beans, and nuts in their natural state, fresh eggs, fruits, vegetables, and most dairy products. He must ensure that these foods are not processed or mixed with grains or preservatives containing gluten. However, there are alternative gluten-free grains and starches that Jim can incorporate into his diet. Some of them include amaranth, arrowroots, flax, corn, rice, soy, sorghum, and millet.

Prevalence of Celiac Disease


Comprehensive tests done in Europe have justified that celiac disease is one of the lifelong illnesses that affect both children and adults equally. Based on epidemiological research, it is evident that the frequency of the disease varies in different cultures and regions (Catassi, Gatti, & Fasano, 2014). The results also indicate that the prevalence of celiac disease is on the rise in the West. For instance, in the United States, the frequency has increased by about 1% over the last forty years; from 2 cases per 1000 to 10 cases per 1000. The case is different in other countries where Jim's friends come from; Greece has the lowest prevalence rate, followed by Ethiopia, then Japan, and Brazil. Therefore, among these countries, America has the highest prevalence rate (Catassi et al., 2014).

Impact of American Diet on Celiac Disease


According to Statistics by Country for Celiac Disease, America is on the lead with the most extensive frequency of celiac disease as shown in Table 1; this data justify the relevance of the claims brought up by Jim’s friends. The American diet is composed of processed foods available in fast food restaurants and supermarkets. Most of these foods always include grains which contain gluten; wheat is the most used ingredient. Unfortunately, many Americans like these fast foods because they are quick to prepare and are relatively cheap.

Steps towards a Healthy Diet


One of the steps I will take in developing a healthy diet is regulating my gluten intake by avoiding foods that contain the protein. I will also enlighten my family members about gluten and the diverse effects it has on the digestive system if consumed in large quantities. In addition, I will ensure I eat fresh food to avoid cases of food poisoning. Lastly, I will strive to have a balanced diet that contains most of the essential nutrients and minerals required for effective metabolism in the digestive tract.


References


Catassi, C., Gatti, S., & Fasano, A. (2014). The new epidemiology of celiac disease. Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 59, S7-S9.


Ganapathy, V. (2012). Protein digestion and absorption. In Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract (Fifth Edition) (pp. 1595-1623).


Statistics by Country for Celiac Disease. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2017, from http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/c/celiac_disease/stats-country.htm


Wong, J. M., & Jenkins, D. J. (2007). Carbohydrate digestibility and metabolic effects. The Journal of nutrition, 137(11), 2539S-2546S.

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