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Digestive System

The digestive system breaks down food and absorbs nutrients to support the body's needs. It consists of the gastrointestinal tract - a long tube running from the mouth to the anus - and additional organs like the liver and pancreas. Food is broken down through mechanical and chemical digestion as it moves through different sections of the GI tract by peristalsis. The small intestine absorbs most nutrients into the bloodstream while the large intestine absorbs water before waste is excreted. Hormones and nerves work together to control the digestive process.

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Antonella Aguilera
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12 views

Digestive System

The digestive system breaks down food and absorbs nutrients to support the body's needs. It consists of the gastrointestinal tract - a long tube running from the mouth to the anus - and additional organs like the liver and pancreas. Food is broken down through mechanical and chemical digestion as it moves through different sections of the GI tract by peristalsis. The small intestine absorbs most nutrients into the bloodstream while the large intestine absorbs water before waste is excreted. Hormones and nerves work together to control the digestive process.

Uploaded by

Antonella Aguilera
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

What is the digestive system?


The digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal tract—also called the GI tract or digestive tract—
and the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. The GI tract is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting
tube from the mouth to the anus. The hollow organs that make up the GI tract are the mouth,
esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus. The liver, pancreas, and gallbladder are
the solid organs of the digestive system.
The small intestine has three parts. The first part is called the duodenum. The jejunum is in the middle
and the ileum is at the end. The large intestine includes the appendix, cecum, colon, and rectum. The
appendix is a finger-shaped pouch attached to the cecum. The cecum is the first part of the large
intestine. The colon is next. The rectum is the end of the large intestine.

Why is digestion important?


Digestion is important because your body needs nutrients from food and drink to work properly and stay
healthy. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins NIH external link, minerals NIH external link, and water
are nutrients. Your digestive system breaks nutrients into parts small enough for your body to absorb
and use for energy, growth, and cell repair.

 Proteins break into amino acids


 Fats break into fatty acids and glycerol
 Carbohydrates break into simple sugars

How does my digestive system work?


Each part of your digestive system helps to move food and liquid through your GI tract, break
food and liquid into smaller parts, or both. Once foods are broken into small enough parts, your
body can absorb and move the nutrients to where they are needed. Your large intestine absorbs
water, and the waste products of digestion become stool. Nerves and hormones help control the
digestive process.
How does food move through my GI tract?
Food moves through your GI tract by a process called peristalsis. The large, hollow organs of your GI
tract contain a layer of muscle that enables their walls to move. The movement pushes food and liquid
through your GI tract and mixes the contents within each organ. The muscle behind the food contracts
and squeezes the food forward, while the muscle in front of the food relaxes to allow the food to move.
Mouth. Food starts to move through your GI tract when you eat. When you swallow, your tongue pushes
the food into your throat. A small flap of tissue, called the epiglottis, folds over your windpipe to prevent
choking and the food passes into your esophagus.

Esophagus. Once you begin swallowing, the process becomes automatic. Your brain signals the muscles
of the esophagus and peristalsis begins.

Lower esophageal sphincter. When food reaches the end of your esophagus, a ringlike muscle—called
the lower esophageal sphincter —relaxes and lets food pass into your stomach. This sphincter usually
stays closed to keep what’s in your stomach from flowing back into your esophagus.

Stomach. After food enters your stomach, the stomach muscles mix the food and liquid with digestive
juices. The stomach slowly empties its contents, called chyme, into your small intestine.

Small intestine. The muscles of the small intestine mix food with digestive juices from the pancreas,
liver, and intestine, and push the mixture forward for further digestion. The walls of the small intestine
absorb water and the digested nutrients into your bloodstream. As peristalsis continues, the waste
products of the digestive process move into the large intestine.

Large intestine. Waste products from the digestive process include undigested parts of food, fluid, and
older cells from the lining of your GI tract. The large intestine absorbs water and changes the waste from
liquid into stool. Peristalsis helps move the stool into your rectum.

Rectum. The lower end of your large intestine, the rectum, stores stool until it pushes stool out of your
anus during a bowel movement.
What happens to the digested food?
The small intestine absorbs most of the nutrients in your food, and your circulatory system passes them
on to other parts of your body to store or use. Special cells help absorbed nutrients cross the intestinal
lining into your bloodstream. Your blood carries simple sugars, amino acids, glycerol, and some vitamins
and salts to the liver. Your liver stores, processes, and delivers nutrients to the rest of your body when
needed.

The lymph system NIH external link, a network of vessels that carry white blood cells and a fluid called
lymph throughout your body to fight infection, absorbs fatty acids and vitamins.
Your body uses sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, and glycerol to build substances you need for energy,
growth, and cell repair.

How does my body control the digestive process?


Your hormones and nerves work together to help control the digestive process. Signals flow within your
GI tract and back and forth from your GI tract to your brain.

Hormones
Cells lining your stomach and small intestine make and release hormones that control how your
digestive system works. These hormones tell your body when to make digestive juices and send signals
to your brain that you are hungry or full. Your pancreas also makes hormones that are important to
digestion.

Nerves
You have nerves that connect your central nervous system—your brain and spinal cord—to your
digestive system and control some digestive functions. For example, when you see or smell food, your
brain sends a signal that causes your salivary glands to "make your mouth water" to prepare you to eat.

You also have an enteric nervous system (ENS)—nerves within the walls of your GI tract. When food
stretches the walls of your GI tract, the nerves of your ENS release many different substances that speed
up or delay the movement of food and the production of digestive juices. The nerves send signals to
control the actions of your gut muscles to contract and relax to push food through your intestines.

Clinical Trials
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and other components of
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conduct and support research into many diseases and conditions.

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