Download The main function of the digestive system is to break down the food

1. The main function of the digestive system is to break down the food we eat into smaller parts so
the body can use them for energy and cell nourishment. and packaging the residue for waste
disposal
2. Saliva from your mouth begins the digestion process, it occurs before you even touch your food.
Saliva glands which are accessory organs to the digestion process by making the saliva which
begins the process. Then you chew the food and your saliva starts to break done the food. Next
your tongue pushes your food done, past your Pharynx, and into your Esophagus. The Pharynx
allows air to pass through and allows food to pass through to the Esophagus. The next step in
the digestive system cycle is the Esophagus. The Esophagus delivers food to your stomach
through muscle contractions called peristalsis. Next your stomach contains the food while your
food is getting mixed with digestive enzymes. The acids and enzymes then break up your food
into a liquid mixture. The stomach then empties its contents into the small intestine. The small
intestine then breaks done the flood mixture even further getting vitamins, fats, minerals,
proteins carbohydrates. The pancreas, liver, and gallbladder are three accessory organs during
the digestive process in the small intestine. The pancreas secretes digestive enzymes that break
down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in the first portion of the small intestine. The liver
processes nutrients absorbed from the small intestine. Bile from the liver also plays a role in
digesting fat. The gallbladder absorbs and digests fat. Now any waste left in your small intestine
moves into the large intestine. The large intestine processes the waste and slowly water is
removed and becomes a solid creating stool. Then the large intestine pushes the stool into the
rectum. The rectum stores the stool until the brain decides to release its contents. The final step
of the digestive system is when your stool moves into your anus. The anus is what keeps the
stool in you until you are ready to dispose of the waste. Another accessory muscle is the
sphincter muscles. Sphincter muscles close bodily passages and openings. The muscle aids the
stomach and anus.
The colon is a 6-foot long muscular tube that connects the small intestine to the rectum. The
large intestine is made up of the cecum, the ascending (right) colon, the transverse (across)
colon, the descending (left) colon, and the sigmoid colon, which connects to the rectum. The
appendix is a small tube attached to the cecum. The large intestine is a highly specialized organ
that is responsible for processing waste so that emptying the bowels is easy and convenient.
Stool, or waste left over from the digestive process, is passed through the colon by means of
peristalsis, first in a liquid state and ultimately in a solid form. As stool passes through the colon,
water is removed. Stool is stored in the sigmoid (S-shaped) colon until a "mass movement"
empties it into the rectum once or twice a day. It normally takes about 36 hours for stool to get
through the colon. The stool itself is mostly food debris and bacteria. These bacteria perform
several useful functions, such as synthesizing various vitamins, processing waste products and
food particles, and protecting against harmful bacteria. When the descending colon becomes
full of stool, or feces, it empties its contents into the rectum to begin the process of elimination.
Rectum
The rectum (Latin for "straight") is an 8-inch chamber that connects the colon to the anus. It is
the rectum's job to receive stool from the colon, to let the person know that there is stool to be
evacuated, and to hold the stool until evacuation happens. When anything (gas or stool) comes
into the rectum, sensors send a message to the brain. The brain then decides if the rectal
contents can be released or not. If they can, the sphincters relax and the rectum contracts,
disposing its contents. If the contents cannot be disposed, the sphincter contracts and the
rectum accommodates so that the sensation temporarily goes away.
Anus
The anus is the last part of the digestive tract. It is a 2-inch long canal consisting of the pelvic
floor muscles and the two anal sphincters (internal and external). The lining of the upper anus is
specialized to detect rectal contents. It lets you know whether the contents are liquid, gas, or
solid. The anus is surrounded by sphincter muscles that are important in allowing control of
stool. The pelvic floor muscle creates an angle between the rectum and the anus that stops stool
from coming out when it is not supposed to. The internal sphincter is always tight, except when
stool enters the rectum. It keeps us continent when we are asleep or otherwise unaware of the
presence of stool. When we get an urge to go to the bathroom, we rely on our external
sphincter to hold the stool until reaching a toilet, where it then relaxes to release the contents.
Like we mentioned, after most of the nutrients are removed from the food mixture there is
waste left over — stuff your body can't use. This stuff needs to be passed out of the body. Can
you guess where it ends up? Well, here's a hint: It goes out with a flush.
Before it goes, it passes through the part of the large intestine called the colon (say: co-lun),
which is where the body gets its last chance to absorb the water and some minerals into the
blood. As the water leaves the waste product, what's left gets harder and harder as it keeps
moving along, until it becomes a solid. Yep, it's poop (also called stool or a bowel movement).
The large intestine pushes the poop into the rectum (say: rek-tum), the very last stop on the
digestive tract. The solid waste stays here until you are ready to go to the bathroom. When you
go to the bathroom, you are getting rid of this solid waste by pushing it through the anus (say:
ay-nus). There's the flush we were talking about!