Question

What factors in your environment can affect your digestion and assimilation of food?

Answer 1

Digestion is defined as the breakdown and absorption of food to yield energy.

Digestion takes place in the digestive system of our body starting from the mouth itself. The main organs of digestion are mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small and large intestine.

Environmental factors influencing digestion include :

1. Use of pesticides and other synthetic chemicals in food

2. Hygiene will cooking of food

3. Level of pollution

4. Smoking and alcoholism

5. Level of toxins and other pollutants in the atmosphere

6. Quality of water used in irrigation of crops : hard or soft, level of water pollution.