3. Digestive System
The digestive system is made up of the
gastrointestinal tract, also called the
digestive tract, and the liver, pancreas, and
gallbladder. The gastrointestinal tract is a
series of hollow organs joined together in a
long, twisted tube that runs from the mouth
to the anus.
4. The hollow organs that make up the
gastrointestinal 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.
5. 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.
6. The appendix is a small finger-shaped sac
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
7. Parts of the nervous and circulatory
systems also help. Working together,
nerves, hormones, bacteria, blood, and
digestive organs digest the food and
liquids a person eats or drinks each day.
9. Importance of digestion
Digestion is important because the
body needs nutrients from food and
drinks to function properly and stay
healthy. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates,
vitamins external link, minerals external
link, and water are nutrients.
10. The digestive system chemically breaks down nutrients
into small enough parts that the body can absorb the
nutrients and use them for energy, growth, and cell repair.
• Proteins are chemically broken down into amino acids
• Fats are chemically broken down into fatty acids and
glycerol.
• Carbohydrates are chemically broken down into simple
sugars.
12. Each part of the digestive
system helps transport food
and liquids through the
gastrointestinal tract,
chemically break down foods
and liquids into smaller parts,
or both.
Work of the digestive system
13. Once food has been chemically
broken down into small enough parts,
the body can absorb and transport
the nutrients to where they are
needed. The large intestine absorbs
water and the waste products of
digestion become feces. Nerves and
hormones help control the digestive
process.
14. Mouth: The digestive process begins
in the mouth when a person chews.
Salivary glands produce saliva, a
digstive juice that moistens food to
transport it more easily through the
esophagus and into the stomach.
Saliva also has an enzyme that begins
to chemically break down the
starches in food.
15. Esophagus: After swallowing,
peristalsis pushes food down the
esophagus and into the stomach.
Stomach: Glands in the lining of the
stomach produce stomach acids and
enzymes that chemically break down
food. The stomach muscles mix the
food with these digestive juices.
16. Pancreas: The pancreas produces a
digestive juice that has enzymes that
chemically break down
carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
Liver: The liver produces a digestive
juice called bile that helps digest fats
and some vitamins. The bile ducts
carry bile from the liver to the
gallbladder for storage or to the small
intestine for use.
.
17. Gallbladder: The gallbladder stores
bile between meals. When a person
eats, the gallbladder squeezes bile
into the small intestine through the
bile ducts.
Small intestine: The small intestine
produces digestive juice, which mixes
with bile and pancreatic juice to
complete the chemical breakdown of
proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
18. Large intestine: In the large intestine,
more water is transported from the
gastrointestinal tract to the bloodstream.
Bacteria in the large intestine help
chemically break down remaining
nutrients and produce vitamin K External
link from NIH. The waste products of
digestion, including parts of food that are
still too large, become feces
Work of the digestive system