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The Digestive System

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6 views2 pages

The Digestive System

Uploaded by

kokkiekhupari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The digestive system

The digestive system breaks down the food into smaller particles (molecules) so it can be absorbed
into the blood stream and transported throughout the body.

The importance of food

 It provides the body with energy.


 It supplies the body with materials for growth.
 Has nutrients that repairs and replaces damaged tissues.
 Protects the body from diseases and infections.

The digestive system is made up of:

1. The Alimentary Canal: which is the longest tube extending from the mouth to the anus. It is
made up of the mouth cavity, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, rectum and anus.
2. The associated organs: which assist in the digestive process- the teeth, tongue, liver, and
pancreas.

There are four processes that occur in the digestive system.

1. Ingestion: the taking of food through the mouth


2. Digestion: there are two kinds:
Mechanical digestion: the physical breaking down of food by the teeth and the muscles of
the stomach wall.
Chemical digestion: the breaking down of foods using chemical substances called enzymes.
In the stomach hydrochloric acid is also used to break down food.
3. Absorption: the movement of dissolved nutrients from the small intestine into the blood
stream.
4. Egestion: The removal of undigested food and waste material from the body via the anus
(defecation).

The structure of the digestive system

1. Mouth
 The tooth chews and crush the food
 The tongue moves the food inside the mouth and mixes it with the saliva
 Tongue assist in the swallowing
2. Oesophagus
 Long tube that connects the mouth and the stomach
 The muscle in the wall contracts and relax pushing the food towards the stomach.
3. Stomach
 Muscle sac like organ
 Have digestive juices containing enzyme and hydrochloric acid which partly breaks
down food
 The partially digested food form a thick liquid called chyme
4. Small intestine
 Chyme from the stomach enters the small intestine
 Digestive juices secreted by the wall of the small intestine digest chyme into
molecules which are then absorbed into the blood.
5. Large Intestine (colony)
 Muscular tube that extends from the small intestine to the anus.
 Serves as a temporal storage place for undigested waste material (faeces)
6. Anus
 Egests faeces out of the body
7. Liver
 Secretes bile which is stored in the gall bladder
8. Gall bladder
 Stores bile
 Bile assist in the digestion of fats in the small intestine
9. Pancreas
 Tongue –shaped structure found below the stomach
 Secretes digestive juices into the small intestine which continues digesting chime
A balanced diet
A balanced diet is made up of all the essential food groups in sufficient quantities. The following
represent the essential food groups required by the body;
1) Carbohydrates
2) Proteins
3) Fats and oils
4) Fiber
5) Vitamin and minerals
Importance of water
 It provides medium for chemical reaction to take place in the cell.
 It removes waste materials from the body through sweats and urine.
 It is a major component of blood, which transport dissolved substance around the body.
 When sweats evaporates it cools the body.

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