Download The Digestive System - Etiwanda E

The Digestive System
By, Rachel Lieberman
June 26, 2007
What is the digestive
system?




The digestive system is a
group of organs that break
down food into a form that the
body can use.
All people need the nutrients
found in food. The digestive
system breaks down food to
release these nutrients.
These nutrients give us energy
and keep us healthy.
After you take a bite, food
travels through about 30 feet
of digestive organs!!!
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepag
es/1090.ht
Digestion in the Mouth





http://www.orthop.washington.edu/_Rainbow/Album/10357m303553449190-45c7-9cdc-c591f8b17bb5.gif
Digestion begins before you
put food in your mouth.
When you see or smell food,
your salivary glands begin to
work.
Your salivary glands produce
saliva, which is a watery liquid
that moistens your mouth and
food.
Every day, you produce as
much as 6 cups of saliva!!!
Inside saliva, there are
enzymes. Enzymes are
chemicals that help to break
down your food.
Teeth




Your teeth help to break
down food. There are 4
main types of teeth.
Your incisors (front teeth)
are the cutting teeth. They
bite off a piece of food.
You have canine teeth on
each side of your incisors
that cut and tear food.
You have premolars and
molars that help to grind
your food up.
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/body/teeth_noSW.html
Swallowing

Once your food is
chewed and mixed
with saliva, you
swallow.
Stages of
Swallowing:
1)
The tongue pushes your food to
the back of your throat.
2)
A flap of tissue closes the
trachea (tube that takes air into
the lungs)
3)
Throat muscles squeeze food to
the top of the esophagus.
4)
The flap of tissue rises that goes
to the trachea (so you can now
breath again).
Esophagus


The esophagus is a
muscular tube that carries
food from your mouth to
your stomach.
The food moves using a
wavelike motion called
peristalsis. Rings of
muscles tighten above the
food, forcing it down to the
stomach.
http://www.sts.org/images/esophbig.jpg
Stomach





http://www.healthnewsflash.com/images/conditions/stomach.jpg
Food goes from the esophagus to
the stomach.
The stomach is a muscular organ
that helps digest food.
Food stays in the stomach for 2 to 6
hours where it mixes with
acid…breaking it down.
The acid in your stomach is strong
enough to dissolve metal!!! Your
stomach has a protective coat of
mucus around it so the acid doesn’t
burn through your organ!
Food turns into a gross soupy liquid
called chyme.
Small Intestine






Chyme leaves your stomach and travels
to your small intestines.
The small intestine is the long, coiled
organ where most digestion takes place.
The small intestine is NOT SMALL!! It
can be about 20 feet long. It is all coiled
up to fit in our bodies.
The small intestine is called small
because it is narrower than the large
intestines.
This organ produces more digestive
juices and enzymes that keep breaking
down food.
The small intestine works with other
organs suchas the liver, gallbladder,
and pancreas, which help to break
down food.



How does the body pull
out nutrients from this
soupy mess?
In the wall of the small intestines are
villi. These are tiny blood vessels that
line the inside of the small intestines.
Dissolved nutrients pass into these villi
as they go through the tubes and from
here the villi send the nutrients to the
blood. The blood carries the nutrients to
the rest of your body.
Large Intestines (Colon)




After food goes through the small
intestines, there is still some stuff
left that the body did not absorb.
This undigested stuff goes to the
large intestines also known as
the colon.
The main role of the colon is to
absorb any water or salt from the
undigested material. It gives the
water and salt to the body, and
whatever is left over is removed
from the body.
About 1 to 2 days after you eat
your meal, the undigested
materials will pass out of your
body.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/ency/fullsize/9206.jpg
When Digestion goes
Wrong…


Choking – If you talk or laugh while eating, the automatic process of
swallowing may fail. Food can enter the windpipe (trachea) which stops you
from breathing. A person trained in the Heimlich maneuver can help to get
the stuck food, free.
Ulcers – An ulcer is a small hole or erosion in the stomach or intestines. They
can be up to ¾ inch wide. The mucus lining is damaged or dissolved by the
hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Another major cause of ulcers is the chronic
use of anti-inflammatory medications, such as aspirin. Cigarette smoking is
also an important cause of ulcer formation and ulcer treatment failure. These
ulcers cause a lot of pain.
Stomach Ulcer
Heimlich Maneuver