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 DIGESTIVE SYSTEM


The digestive system allows us to utilize food from such diverse sources as meat from an animal and the roots of a plant, and utilize them as an energy source. Whether it is the ability to coordinate the chewing of the food without injuring our tongue and lips or the propulsion of the food from the stomach into the duodenum while releasing the appropriate enzymes, our digestive system allows us to manage the process without much thought and often while performing other tasks.

PARTS OF DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

MOUTH



The mouth is the entry point for food, but the digestive system often gets ready before the first piece of food even enters our mouth. Saliva is released by the salivary glands into our oral cavity when we smell food. Once the food enters the mouth, chewing (mastication) breaks food into smaller particles that can be more easily attacked by the enzymes in saliva.

PHARYNX AND ESOPHAGUS



The pharynx (throat) is the transition area from the mouth to the esophagus. From the pharynx there are two paths that the food bolus can take; 1) the wrong path, which is down the windpipe into the lungs, or 2) the correct path into the esophagus and then the stomach. The act of swallowing is a complex process that closes the windpipe (to protect our lungs) and moves food into the esophagus. This process is mostly automatic (reflex) but it is also partially under our direct control.

Once it enters the esophagus, food is moved down the esophagus and into our stomach. The esophagus is a muscular tube that contracts in a synchronized fashion (peristalsis) to move food down towards the stomach. While the muscles behind the food product contract, the muscles ahead of the food relax, causing the forward propulsion of the food. Peristalsis is the main mechanism by which food moves through our digestive system.

Once the food approaches the stomach, a muscular valve (the lower esophageal sphincter) relaxes and lets the food pass into the stomach. This sphincter has the important function of closing the stomach so no food or stomach acid reenters the esophagus (and therefore avoiding heartburn or regurgitation).

STOMACH AND SMALL INTESTINE 



From glands that line the stomach, acid and enzymes are secreted that continue the breakdown process of the food. The stomach muscles further mix the food. At the end of this process, the food you placed in your mouth has been transformed to a thick creamy fluid called chyme.

This thick fluid is then pushed into the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). With the help of enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver, further breakdown of the food occurs in the small intestine.

The small intestine has three segments. The first segment is the duodenum where further breakdown of the food takes place. The next two parts of the small intestine (jejunum and ileum) are mostly responsible for the absorption of nutrients from the processed food into the bloodstream through the walls of the intestine.

After the small intestine, the leftover waste leaves the upper gastrointestinal tract (upper GI tract) which is made up of everything above the large intestine, and moves into the large intestine or colon (the beginning of the lower GI tract).

ACCESSARY DIGESTIVE GLANDS



Three other organs are instrumental in the digestive process.

  1. Pancreas: Although the pancreas is mostly known for its blood sugar regulatory function with the production of insulin (as part of the endocrine system -- he insulin goesdirectly from the gland into the bloodstream), it is the main producer of digestive enzymes as part of the exocrine system (the enzymes produced by the gland pass through a duct into the intestines). These enzymes are released into the duodenum and help with the digestion of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates..
  2. Liver: The liver produces bile for fat digestion and elimination. In addition, nutrients are stored in the liver, and toxins and chemicals are filtered by liver.
  3. Gallbladder: Bile is stored and released from the gallbladder. When fatty food enters the duodenum, the gallbladder contracts and releases bile.

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