The Digestive System: A Description Of The Digestive System

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The Digestive System
This is a combination of different set of organs which changes whatever we eat or drink in things that the body uses for growth, energy and repair. The body usually absorbs the nutrients, after the food has been broken down by different chemical processes, the rest is normally expelled as waste product. This whole process can usually take up to several hours or less. The digestive system is also known as the alimentary canal or the gastrointestinal tract. (Tucker L. 2005).

Fig1. shows the human digestive system or the alimentary canal with different organs. (ladyofHats 2006).

LadyofHats( 2006). The digestive system. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Digestive_system_diagram_edit.svg. (Accessed: 30th …show more content…

When these two muscles layer contracts in an alternate fashion, it propels the food through the pharynx into the esophagus. This mechanism is called peristalsis. (Marieb E. 2006)

The Oesophagus:
This is a muscular narrow tube lined with stratified squamous epithelium that connects the pharynx to the stomach through the diaphragm. The walls of the oesophagus secrete mucus (lubricants) which helps in the process of swallowing through peristalsis movement, moving the food from the oesophagus into the stomach. (McGuiness, 2006).

The Stomach:
This is a J-shaped organ, that can contract or expand, depending on what’s inside, due to the nature of its elasticity. It has two valves, one at the opening called the cardiac sphincter, which prevent a back flow of food into oesophagus, and the other one at the exit called the pyloric sphincter (situated at the entrance of the duodenum), which regulates food leaving the stomach. (Tucker. …show more content…

It measures about 1.5m in length, and 6.5cm in diameter, wrap around the small intestine, in a shape of an arch. It is made up of caecum, colon, rectum, appendix, anal canal and anus. About 90% of water is re-absorbed here, which is one of its major function. There are also bacteria in the large intestine that converts protein to amino acid. These bacteria produce gas, acid and vitamin B &K by breaking down amino acid. These vitamins are absorbed here. The content of the large intestine changes to a semi solid state called faeces due to water re-absorption. (Tortora G. and Derrickson B.

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