Digestion is how your body turns food into fuel

On average, this process takes 24 to 72 hours.

But how long does it take your body to digest food?

It depends on what you consume, amount, digestion, metabolism and physical activity.

Carbohydrates, as the body's main source of energy, usually pass through the digestive system faster than protein or fat.

Proteins are digested faster than fats.

While some carbohydrates are digested faster than others, some, such as fiber, are not digested at all.

Digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth.

This is because enzymes and the mechanical act of chewing begin to digest them before they reach the stomach.

Although the digestion of carbohydrates continues in the stomach, most of them, with the exception of alcohol, are absorbed in the small intestine.

Your body can only absorb simple sugars.

The cells that line the small intestine secrete enzymes that break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars.

Carbohydrates are defined by the number of chemical bonds they contain.

Based on chemical bonds, they are divided into simple sugars (monosaccharides or disaccharides) and complex sugars (oligosaccharides and polysaccharides).

Complex carbohydrates must be broken down into simple sugars before your body can absorb them.

Fiber is another type of carbohydrate that cannot normally be used for energy.

They therefore remain undigested until they reach the large intestine, where a small amount is digested by bacteria and absorbed.

Fruits, vegetables and whole grains all contain some fiber.

Digestion of proteins occurs mainly in the stomach, where stomach acids break them down.

Pepsin and Trypsin are two enzymes that are secreted by the stomach to digest proteins.

Almost all protein in food is digested, while the rest passes through the large intestine.

Although fats leave your stomach more slowly than carbohydrates or proteins, the stomach digests a small amount.

It is then the liver that prepares the fat for digestion, making it water soluble.

This makes it easier for the enzymes to break the fat into smaller pieces to continue digestion.

In the small intestine, lipase, an enzyme produced by the pancreas, breaks down fats into fatty acids and glycerol.

Once separated, your body absorbs them easily.

/KP