Definition of Digestion| What is Digestion

Concept and Meaning of Digestion

From the latin digestĭo, digestion is the action and the effect of Digest. This verb refers to the activity performed by the digestive system that consists of converting food into substances assimilated by the body.
Digestion, therefore, involves the transformation of having digested food. Foods, through this process, become simpler substances which can be absorbed by the body. Heterotrophic organisms (such as animals) rely on digestion to obtain energy from the organic matter they ingest, because food is converted to minerals and nutrients needed for subsistence.
It is important to note that the digestion takes place at different levels: subcellular, cellular and multicellular. The digestive system is composed of various organizations involved in chemical and mechanical digestion processes. The first step is mechanical (the size of the food is reduced), while the following are chemical (to prepare food for absorption).
Food process therefore begins with ingestion (food in the mouth), continues with digestion (mechanical and chemical to convert complex molecules into simpler substances, then reached the absorption (nutrients go to the circulatory and lymphatic capillaries through osmosis) and ends with excretion (undigested materials are eliminated by defecation).)
In a symbolic sense, digestion is related to mindfulness meditation something to understand it or suffering to be endure with patience: "I still can not digest the news", "Losing my job was for me a fairly tough to digest."

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