Understanding the Digestive System Process

The digestive system process begins at the mouth and finishes at the anus. This system includes the mouth→ pharynx→ salivary glands→ larynx→ oesophagus→ stomach→ liver→ pancreas→ duodenum→ small intestine→ large intestine→ rectum→ anus.

Digestion is the breakdown of food that allows the body to absorb the food into the bloodstream and into the cells for energy. This happens mechanically and chemically, mechanically means by your teeth, tongue and gums so chewing food. Whereas chemically means by the digestive enzymes; amylase, protease and lipase.

Each part of the digestive system have an individual role/function;

The mouth is where digestion begins and the mechanical breakdown of food takes place. This is because the food is chewed and then

The bile that is made in the liver travels to the small intestine by the bile ducts (these are small, tube-like structures where they carry bile from the gall bladder and empty it into the first part of the small intestine, called the duodenum). However, if the small intestine doesn’t need the bile, it will enter the gall bladder where it waits for a signal from the intestines that the food is present.

Bile→ This has 2 main purposes, firstly, it helps to absorb any fats in the diet and secondly, it carries any waste that’s from the liver that can’t travel through the kidneys.

The pancreas is the chief/main factory for all of the digestive enzymes and they are secreted in the first segment/part of the small intestine. The enzymes break down proteins into protease, fats into lipase and carbohydrates into carbohydrase. Also, the pancreas produces insulin which is responsible for controlling the blood sugar and then it is secreted directly into the bloodstream. Insulin is the main/chief hormone that metabolizes

Peristalsis that was mentioned earlier in the oesophagus is also used in the small intestine to help move food through and mix it with digestive secretions from the pancreas and the liver. Its first responsibility is the process to continuously breakdown, then the second and third responsibility is the absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream. As chyme moves through the small intestine, many of the molecules are absorbed in to the bloodstream and the small intestine has a very efficient way to help in this process. The inside of the small intestine has finger-like projections called villi and these raise the surface area of the gut. The contents of the small intestine begin semi-solid and then finish in a liquid form after passing through the organ. Bile enzymes, water and mucus contributes to the change in consistency. Then once the nutrients have been absorbed and any leftover food residue liquid has been passed through the small intestine, it will then move onto the large intestine through the ileocecal