The Human

Digestive System
What is the structure and
function of the digestive
system?
The Alimentary Canal
• Upper Alimentary Canal
• Middle Alimentary Canal
• Lower Alimentary Canal
• Auxiliary parts

• An adult’s alimentary canal is about 30 feet long

Upper Alimentary Canal
• Mouth
– Teeth
– Tongue
• Epiglottis
• Pharynx
• Esophagus
• Salivary Glands
Mouth
• The entry point of food into the digestive system
• Designed to support chewing, swallowing, and speech
• Mouth Structures
– Two rows of teeth
– Tongue
– Lips
– Cheeks
– Hard palate
– Soft palate
 Teeth
• The toughest known substance – Premolars
in the body • Four pairs, located
• Types of teeth: next to the cuspids
– Incisors • Used to crush and
• Eight, located in the tear food
front of the mouth – Molars
• Have sharp, • Twelve, in sets of
chisel-shaped crowns three, located at the
• Used to cut food back of the mouth
– Cuspids • Have wide surfaces
• Four, located next to • Used to grind food
each incisor • Adults have 32 permanent
• Have a pointed edge teeth, children have 20
• Used to tear food deciduous teeth
• Used for mechanical digestion
in the mouth
Teeth cont’d
• Parts
– Enamel
• Is a tough bone like substance that forms the crown
• Initially white, but is susceptible to stains from coffee
and cigarette usage
– Pulp
• Contains the blood vessels and nerves
– Dentine
• Used for shock absorption
– Cementum
• Used to secure the tooth to the jawbone
– Peridontium
• All the support membranes of the dental structures
which surround and support the teeth
– Gums, connective tissues, muscle tissues, nervous
tissue
Tongue
• Aids in chewing by moving food around
• Aids in swallowing by moving bolus (chewed food which
has begun the digestion process) to the back of the mouth
Epiglottis
• Flap of cartilage covering larynx opening during swallowing
Pharynx
• Passage from the mouth to the esophagus
Esophagus
• A thick-walled muscular tube about 10” long
• Connects the pharynx with the stomach
• Uses muscle contractions, called peristalsis, to force the
food from the throat into the stomach
Salivary Glands
• Three sets – Saliva
– Parotid • Is used for proper mixing of
food
– Submandibular
• Provides enzymes to start
– Sublingual
chemical digestion
• They are exocrine glands
• Helps hold together the
• They secrete saliva formed bolus
– Saliva is made of
• Water
• Ions
• Salivary amylase
• Lysozymes
• Urea
Swallowing
• Begins as a voluntary action when a bolus of food is
pushed to the back of the mouth
• Usually takes place after a period of chewing or fluid enters
the mouth
• Automatic reflexes control subsequent stages of
swallowing, as the muscles of the throat contract and
move the bolus back and down, and squeeze it into the top
of the esophagus
Middle Alimentary Canal
• Stomach
• Small Intestine
– Duodenum
– Jejunum
– Ileum
Stomach
• Is the widest part of the digestive tube
• It is 30.5cm long and 15.2 cm wide
• It is a muscular-walled J-shaped sac
• It is connected to the esophagus by the lower esophageal
sphincter (LES)
– Closes to prevent food from re-entering the esophagus
– When something gets in the stomach, that the
stomach doesn’t like, the stomach muscles contract
trying to expel the substance
– When the contractions are stronger than the force of
the LES this allows the stomach contents back into the
esophagus
• This results in throwing up
• Here food is stored, churned, and mixed with gastric juices
Stomach cont’d
• Food in the stomach that is partly digested and mixed with
stomach acids is called chyme
• Food is broken down into simpler nutrients like vitamins,
carbohydrates, and proteins
• The stomach expands like a balloon as it fills with food and
drink
– When the stomach is empty it has a volume of 1/5 of a
cup
– When fully expanded it can expand to hold more than
8 cups
– Gases produced by chemical breakdown of food and
swallowed air also collect in and expand the stomach
• Gases in the highest part of the stomach are
expelled by belching
Stomach cont’d
• The stomach is divided into 4 parts
– Cardia – where bolus enters
– Fundus – the top curve of the stomach
– Corpus – the central part
– Pylorus – the lowermost part
Small Intestine
• About 20 feet long and 2.5-3 cm in diameter
• Has 3 segments
– Duodenum
– Jejunum
– Ileum
• The inner wall is covered with millions of microscopic,
finger-like projections called villi
• Protects the body against infections
Duodenum
• The first part of the small intestine
• About 10” long
• Begins just beyond the stomach and curves around the
head of the pancreas and the entrance of the common bile
duct
• Connected to the stomach by a valve called the pyloric
sphincter
– This valve prevents regurgitation back into the stomach
• Responsible for:
– Further processing of chyme through the use of
enzymes, bile, and pancreatic juice
– The break down of fats and carbohydrates
Jejunum
• Responsible for:
– Absorption of carbohydrates and proteins, into the
blood stream, after they have been broken down into
• Amino acids, sugar, fatty acid particles, vitamins,
minerals, electrolytes, and water
Ileum
• Responsible for:
– Absorption of fats, bile salts, vitamin B12, fat-soluble
vitamins, electrolytes, and water into the blood stream
• Food here has now developed a pasty consistency
Lower Alimentary Canal
• Large Intestine
– Ascending colon
– Transverse colon
– Sigmoid
• Appendix
• Rectus
• Anus
Large Intestine
• Is about 5 feet long
• Connects to the ileum of the small intestine by the
ileocecal valve
– This prevents back flow into the small intestine
• Responsible for:
– Moving waste from the small intestine to the rectum
– Absorption of water
– Bacterial fermentation through the use of “good”
bacteria digesting remaining food waste
• Has 3 segments
– Ascending colon
– Transverse colon
– Sigmoid
Ascending colon
• A pouch at the beginning of the large intestine
• It is a transition area
• Expands in diameter
Transverse colon
• Responsible for:
– The absorption of fluids and salts
Sigmoid
• Designed to slow down the movement of waste
Appendix
• A small, hollow, finger-like pouch
• Hangs at the end of the cecum
• No longer appears to have a function
Rectus
• Stores the firm waste, feces, until ready to eliminate from
the body
Anus
• Contains a specialised muscle – the anal sphincter
– Prevents the body waste from escaping until the
appropriate time
Auxiliary Parts
• Liver
• Gall Bladder
• Pancreas
Liver
• Found below the diaphragm
• Made of a group of lobules
• Weighs around 1.5 kg
• Nutrient-rich blood arrives from the intestines and filters
through the lobules
• Used to
– store and release blood sugar (glucose) for energy
– Sorting and processing vitamins and minerals
– Breaking down toxins into less harmful substances
– Recycling old blood cells
 Liver Functions• Detoxification
– Harmful substances in the
• Bile Production blood, are detoxified.
– Liver cells secrete bile into small Waste products and
canals, which drain into bile unwanted amino acids are
ducts running between the converted into urea
lobules. These bile ducts then • Protein synthesis
transport bile to the gallbladder – Synthesizes blood-clotting
for storage. proteins and proteins for
• Nutrient processing blood plasma
– The liver removes nutrients from • Mineral and vitamin storage
the blood. It converts simple – Storage of minerals such as
sugars into glycogen and iron and copper and
synthesizes amino acids. fat-soluble vitamins A, B12,
• Glucose regulation D, E, and K
– Maintains blood glucose levels • Blood waste disposal
by converting fat and proteins – Eliminate bacteria and
into glucose foreign particles
• Recycling blood cells
– Break down red blood cells
and reuse their constituents
Pancreas
• A gland
• It is around 6” long
• Produces digestive juices containing enzymes that break
down lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates
• Produces insulin
• Juices are emptied into the duodenum
Gallbladder
• Holds bile created in the liver
• Concentrates the bile while it waits for release
• Releases bile into the duodenum
The Phases of Digestion
1. Cephalic Phase
2. Mechanical Phase
3. Chemical Phase
4. Absorption Phase
5. Egestion Phase
Cephalic Phase
• Preparation for digestion begins
• Saliva is produced
• Digestive enzymes are produced
Mechanical Digestion
• The physical breaking down food into smaller pieces
Chemical Digestion
• Saliva softens food
• Digestive enzymes break food down into smaller
components for easy absorption
Absorption Phase
• The movement and distribution of nutrients from the
digestive system to the lymphatic and circulatory systems
Egestion Phase
• The removal of undigested material from the stomach