The digestive system breaks down the food we eat into tiny parts to give us fuel and the nutrients we need to live. As food breaks down, we get amino acids from protein, simple sugars from starches, and fatty acids and glycerol from fats. Show What Are the Parts of the Digestive System?The digestive system is made up of:
Here’s how digestion happens: The mouth: Digestion begins even before we taste food. When we see, smell, taste, or even imagine a tasty meal, our salivary glands (located in front of the ears, under the tongue, and near the lower jaw) begin making saliva (spit). Teeth tear and chop the food. Spit moistens it for easy swallowing. A digestive enzyme in saliva called amylase (AH-meh-lace) starts to break down some carbohydrates (starches and sugars) in the food. Muscles in the tongue and mouth work together to swallow the food and move it into the throat (pharynx). The pharynx (FAIR-inks) is a passageway for food and air. A soft flap of tissue called the epiglottis (ep-ih-GLAH-tus) closes over the windpipe when we swallow to keep food and liquid out of the lungs. The esophagus: Food travels down a muscular tube in the chest called the esophagus (ih-SAH-fuh-gus). Waves of muscle contractions called peristalsis (per-uh-STALL-sus) force food down through the esophagus to the stomach. A person usually isn't aware of the muscle movements that push food through the digestive tract. The stomach: At the end of the esophagus is a muscular ring or valve called a sphincter (SFINK-ter). The sphincter lets food enter the stomach, then squeezes shut to keep food and liquids from flowing back up into the esophagus. The stomach muscles churn and mix the food with digestive juices that have acids and enzymes. These juices help break up food into much smaller pieces. By the time food is ready to leave the stomach, it has been turned into a thick liquid called chyme (kime). A small muscular valve called the pylorus (pie-LOR-is) controls when chyme is released into the small intestine. The small intestine: The small intestine is where many nutrients (like protein, carbohydrates, and fats) get absorbed into the bloodstream. It has three parts:
Millions of microscopic, finger-like projections called villi (VIH-lie) line the inside of the small intestine. The villi make lots of surface area for nutrients to get absorbed into the blood. Then blood brings the nutrients to the rest of the body. While food works its way through the small intestine, three organs that are not part of the alimentary canal help the digestion process:
Enzymes and bile travel through small pathways (called ducts) into the small intestine, where they help to break down food. Undigested food and some water travels to the large intestine through a muscular ring called the ileocecal (ill-ee-oh-SEE-kul) valve. This valve prevents food from returning to the small intestine. By the time food reaches the large intestine, the work of absorbing nutrients is nearly finished. The large intestine: The large intestine's main job is to remove water from the undigested matter and form solid waste (poop) to be excreted. The large intestine includes three parts:
It can take days for food to fully pass through the digestive system.
We need food to fuel our bodies for energy, growth and repair. The digestive system converts the foods we eat into their simplest forms, like glucose (sugars), amino acids (that make up protein) or fatty acids (that make up fats). The broken-down food is then absorbed into the bloodstream from the small intestine and the nutrients are carried to each cell in the body. The digestive tract begins at the mouth and ends at the anus. It is like a long muscular tube, up to 10 metres long, with digestive organs attached along the way. A large reservoir of microbes, such as bacteria, live within the large intestine and, to a lesser degree, in vthe rest of the digestive system. These bacteria play an important role in healthy digestion. The exact types of bacteria are particular to each person. Other factors that influence the type of bacteria in your digestive system include where you live in the world, what health conditions you have and what medications you have received. The mouth and oesophagusDigestion begins in the mouth. The food is ground up by the teeth and moistened with saliva to make it easy to swallow. Saliva also has a special chemical, called an enzyme, which starts breaking down carbohydrates into sugars. Once swallowed, muscular contractions of the oesophagus massage the ball of food down into the stomach. The stomachThe food passes through a sphincter, or small muscle ring, into the stomach. Here it is mixed with gastric juices. The stomach is a muscular bag and it churns the food to help break it down mechanically as well as chemically. The food is then squeezed through a second sphincter into the first part of the small intestine, called the duodenum. The small intestineOnce in the duodenum, the food is mixed with more digestive enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver. Food is then squeezed into the lower parts of the small intestine, called the jejunum and the ileum. Nutrients are absorbed from the ileum, which is lined with millions of finger-like projections called villi. Each villus is connected to a mesh of capillaries. This is how nutrients pass into the bloodstream. PancreasThe pancreas is one of the largest glands in the human body. As well as digestive juices, it secretes a hormone called insulin. Insulin helps to regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. Diabetes is a condition caused by problems with insulin production. LiverThe liver has a number of different roles in the body, including:
The large intestineOnce all the nutrients have been absorbed, the waste is moved into the large intestine, or bowel. Water is removed and the waste (faeces) is stored in the rectum. It can then be passed out of the body through the anus. Common problems in the digestive systemSome common problems include:
Where to get helpThings to remember
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This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
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