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Hormones play a crucial role in enhancing digestion by regulating various processes within the digestive system. They assist in stimulating the production of digestive enzymes, managing gastric motility, and promoting the release of bile, all of which contribute to more effective breakdown and absorption of nutrients.
For instance, gastrin is a hormone that promotes gastric acid secretion, helping to digest proteins, while secretin aids in the regulation of pancreatic enzymes and bicarbonate to neutralize stomach acid in the small intestine. These hormonal actions help maintain optimal conditions for digestion.
The other substances mentioned, while they may be involved in the larger process of digestion, do not directly enhance the digestion process to the same extent as hormones do. Proteins, sugars, and fats are macronutrients that are broken down during digestion, but they do not regulate or enhance the digestive process itself as hormones do.