Gastrointestinal Digestive and Absorptive Function

From a nutritional perspective, the gastrointestinal tract may be viewed as an organ of digestion and absorption, and the principal functions of each part; pregastric, gastric, small intestinal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary, and colonic, together operate in an integrated manner to assimilate complementary foods and transport nutrients across the intestinal mucosa. Intestinal motility and epithelial defense systems also play a part in this coordinated process, and a full understanding of the gut during weaning is a major challenge that can be addressed at all levels from molecular control to dietary balance. However, the relative importance of the functions of each part of the gut during the transition from milk-feeding to complementary diet is poorly understood, particularly in relation to the introduction of “new” nutrients, such as complex carbohydrates and nonhuman food proteins.
PEDIATRICS Vol. 106 No. 5 Supplement November 2000, pp. 1280

A cikk a Pediatrics oldalán olvasható.