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Gastrointestinal Tract
Digestion is the process by which food is broken down into smaller pieces
so that the body can use them to build and nourish cells and to provide energy.
Digestion involves the mixing of food, its movement through the digestive tract
(also known as the alimentary canal), and the chemical breakdown of larger
molecules into smaller molecules. Every piece of food we eat has to be broken
down into smaller nutrients that the body can absorb, which is why it takes hours
to fully digest food.
Movements by the tongue and the mouth push the food to the back of the
throat for it to be swallowed. A flexible flap called the epiglottis closes over the
trachea (windpipe) to ensure that food enters the esophagus and not the
windpipe to prevent choking.
Esophagus
Stomach
The stomach is a J-shaped organ that lies between the esophagus and
the small intestine in the upper abdomen. The stomach has 3 main functions: to
store the swallowed food and liquid; to mix up the food, liquid, and digestive
juices produced by the stomach; and to slowly empty its contents into the small
intestine.
The food is processed into a semiliquid form called chyme. About 4 hours
or so after eating a meal, the chyme is slowly released a little at a time through
the pyloric sphincter, a thickened muscular ring between the stomach and the
first part of the small intestine called the duodenum.
Small Intestine
Most digestion and absorption of food occurs in the small intestine. The
small intestine is a narrow, twisting tube that occupies most of the lower
abdomen between the stomach and the beginning of the large intestine. It
extends about 20 feet in length. The small intestine consists of 3 parts: the
duodenum (the C-shaped part), the jejunum (the coiled midsection), and the
ileum (the last section).
The small intestine has 2 important functions. First, the digestive process
is completed here by enzymes and other substances made by intestinal cells, the
pancreas, and the liver. Glands in the intestine walls secrete enzymes that
breakdown starches and sugars. The pancreas secretes enzymes into the small
intestine that help breakdown carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The liver
produces bile, which is stored in the gallbladder. Bile helps to make fat molecules
(which otherwise are not soluble in water) soluble, so they can be absorbed by
the body. Second, the small intestine absorbs the nutrients from the digestive
process. The inner wall of the small intestine is covered by millions of tiny
fingerlike projections called villi. The villi are covered with even tinier projections
called microvilli. The combination of villi and microvilli increase the surface area
of the small intestine greatly, allowing absorption of nutrients to occur.
Undigested material travels next to the large intestine.
Large Intestine
The large intestine forms an upside down U over the coiled small intestine.
It begins at the lower right-hand side of the body and ends on the lower left-hand
side. The large intestine is about 5-6 feet long. It has 3 parts: the cecum, the
colon, and the rectum. The cecum is a pouch at the beginning of the large
intestine. This area allows food to pass from the small intestine to the large
intestine. The colon is where fluids and salts are absorbed and extends from the
cecum to the rectum. The last part of the large intestine is the rectum, which is
where feces (waste material) is stored before leaving the body through the anus.
The main job of the large intestine is to remove water and salts
(electrolytes) from the undigested material and to form solid waste that can be
excreted. Bacteria in the large intestine help to break down the undigested
materials. The remaining contents of the large intestine are moved toward the
rectum, where feces are stored until they leave the body through the anus as a
bowel movement.
BILIARY SYSTEM
BILE
► When the liver cells secrete bile, it is collected by a system of ducts that flow
from the liver through the right and left hepatic ducts.
► The common hepatic duct then joins with the cystic duct from the gallbladder
to form the common bile duct, which runs from the liver to the duodenum (the
first section of the small intestine).
► However, not all bile runs directly into the duodenum. About 50 percent of the
bile produced by the liver is first stored in the gallbladder, a pear-shaped
organ located directly below the liver.
► Then, when food is eaten, the gallbladder contracts and releases stored bile
into the duodenum to help break down the fats.
Bile salt is the actual component which helps break down and absorb fats. Bile,
which is excreted from the body in the form of feces, is what gives feces its dark
brown color.
Accessory Organs
Salivary Glands
There are three pairs of salivary glands: the parotid, submandibular, and
sublingual glands. Each gland releases salivary amylase that begins digestion by
degrading starch in the mouth. The glands are composed of specialized cells that
make enzymes. They are connected to the mouth by a duct. These ducts are
lined with epithelium, which serves as a protective barrier from autodigestion.
They also have some muscle in them that allows the ducts to contract. This
enables the one-way flow of enzymes from the glands into the mouth.
Pancreas