Download Digestive PP

Notes:
Digestive system
Organ
Function
Digestion start with every bite. Chewing breaks the
food into pieces that are more easily digested, while
Mouth/Salivar saliva mixed with food to begin to break it down into
y Gland
a form your body can use and absorb. Salivary
glands produce amylase, an enzyme that speeds up
the breakdown of starch and sugars.
Organ
Function
Tongue
Muscular organ necessary for speech, chewing, and
swallowing. In combination with the cheeks, it is
able to guide and maintain food between the teeth
until chewing and swallowing is complete.
Appendix
Organ
Function
Appendix
Beginning of the large intestine in which the small
intestine empties into. Scientists don't know whether
it has a useful purpose to humans. They speculate it
is disappearing from the human species over
evolutionary time.
Organ
Function
Esophagus
Located in your throat near your trachea. It received
food from your mouth when you swallow. By means
of a series of muscular contractions called
peristalsis, the esophagus delivers food to your
stomach. We call this the "food tube."
Organ
Function
Stomach
Hollow organ that holds food. Cells in the lining of
the stomach make a strong acid and more enzymes
to continue to break down food. Contents of
stomach are released into small intestine.
Organ
Function
Pancreas
Secretes digestive enzymes into small intestine that
breaks down protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Also
makes insulin and releases it into the bloodstream,
which helps control sugar levels.
Organ
Function
Breaks down food using enzymes from pancreas
and bile from liver. Food starts out as semi-solid, by
Small Intestine the end of the small intestine it is in a semi-liquid
form. Nutrients are then absorbed and leftover
waste is passed onto large intestine.
Organ
Function
Large
Intestine
Also known as the colon. Responsible for
processing waste so emptying bowels is easier. As
waste passes through large intestine, water is
absorbed. It takes about 36 hours for the waste to
move through the entire large intestine until it
empties out the anus.
Organ
Function
Gallbladder
Stores and concentrates bile, releases it into small
intestine to help absorb and digest fats.
Organ
Function
Liver
Process nutrients that have been absorbed from the
small intestine. Produces bile that digests fat in
small intestine. Is the "chemical factory" that
converts the raw materials absorbed into chemicals
the body needs to function. Detoxifies harmful
chemicals (alcohol).
Organ
Function
Spleen
Is primarily your blood filter. It destroys old red blood
cells and holds back up cells in case you lose some
quickly. You can live without your spleen, but you
are more likely to get sick as it helps your immune
system.
Organ
Function
Rectum
Connects large intestine to anus. Rectum holds
waste/feces until message is sent to the brain telling
you to get rid of it.
Organ
Function
Anus
Last part of the digestive tract. Releases waste.
The Pathway of Food
1. Food enters the mouth where it is cut mechanically
by the teeth.
2. Salivary glands contain amylase (enzyme) which
begins the chemical digestion of the food.
3. The food is pushed down the pharynx and the
epiglottis seals off the airway.
4. The food moves down the esophagus by smooth
muscle contractions called peristalsis.
The Pathway of Food
5. As the food drops into the stomach the cardiac
sphincter muscle closes behind it (preventing
"heart burn" - acid reflux!)
6. The stomach, a large muscular sac organ,
contains gastric juices that continue chemical
digestion.
7. Bile made in the liver is stored in the gallbladder to
prepare fats for better digestion.
The Pathway of Food
8. The broken down food mixture enters the last parts
of the small intestine. The walls of the intestine are
folded into finger-like projections called microvilli,
which maximizes the surface area and allows for
fast absorption.
9. Food now passes into the colon or large intestine
(1.5m long and 5 cm wide). Here, most water is
absorbed as well as vitamins K and B.
10.Undigested material, called feces, exits through
the colon, rectum, and anus.