Download Digestive System Notes

Digestive System Notes
Organs
Mouth
**Salivary Glands
(around mouth)
Esophagus
Stomach
**Liver
**Gall Bladder
**Bile
**Pancreas
Small intestine
**Villi
**Appendix
Large Intestine
Rectum
Anus
Function
Begins mechanical digestion by chewing up food to
break it down into smaller pieces.
Secrete saliva into the mouth to begin chemical
digestion.
Tube connecting mouth with stomach. Food is
moved through esophagus by contractions of
smooth muscle along the digestive system.
Acids in stomach digest food chemically, and
movements of stomach muscles help digest food
mechanically.
Makes bile and other digestive enzymes to help
break down food in the small intestine.
Stores bile
Enzyme that helps break down fats
Produces enzymes that help digest proteins,
carbohydrates and other food in the small intestine.
Pancreas also produces insulin to help cells use
sugars in the blood.
Most digestion and absorption of nutrients happens
in the small intestine.
Microscopic finger-like parts on the lining of the
small intestine to increase surface area.
Reabsorb water
Storage of waste before it is eliminated
Opening to get rid of waste.
Absorption – Getting nutrients from digestive system into blood.
Mechanical digestion – Breaking down food into smaller pieces of food, like tearing,
cutting, and chewing.
Chemical digestion – Breaking down small pieces of food into individual molecules.
(This is a chemical reaction like acid breaking down material, fire burning something
etc.)
Digestive system functions
•
•
•
Break down food into molecules your body can use.
Absorb molecules into the blood to be carried to cells throughout the body.
Wastes (parts of food that cannot be absorbed) are removed from body.