calcium or more per day delivered fewer preterm babies than those women with a lower calcium intake. Calcium supplementation did not have a detectable effect on the risk of low birth weight, admissions to neonatal intensive care unit, stillbirths or neonatal death before hospital discharge.
The term mechanical digestion refers to the physical breakdown of large pieces of food into smaller pieces which can subsequently be accessed by digestive enzymes. In chemical digestion, enzymes break down food into the small molecules the body can use.
Digestion is the process by which food and drink are broken down into their smallest parts so that the body can use them. (For more information on the function of the digestive system, see the full eMedTV article on the Digestive System.)