The Digestive System and Body Systems

Flashcards covering body systems, the processes of digestion (ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation, excretion), and the anatomy and measurements of the digestive tract based on lecture notes.

What is a body system?

A group of tissue and organs that work together to help the body work properly and perform essential functions.

What does the Digestive system do?

It converts the food we eat into their simplest forms, such as fats and protein.

What is the result of too much glucose?

diabetie

What is Ingestion?

The process of eating, drinking, and entering food into the body.

What are the two types of digestion?

Chemical digestion and Mechanical digestion.

What occurs during Chemical digestion?

Breaking down complex food into simple molecules using acid, saliva, enzymes, and bile acids.

What occurs during Mechanical digestion?

Breaking down food physically through chewing and grinding with teeth and tongue, and churning in the stomach.

What is Assimilation?

The transportation and use of absorbed nutrients that occurs in the blood stream and blood vessels.

What is the definition of Excretion?

The elimination of food out of the digestive track.

What is the specific acid found naturally in the stomach?

Hydrochloric acid or $HCI$

What is the function of the tongue in the mouth?

It manipulates the food and forms it into a bolus, then pushes it to the Pharynx.

What is the Pharynx?

A Y shaped tube at the terminal end of the mouth connected to the esophagus.

What is the Epiglottis?

A leaf shaped flap in the throat that protects the trachea and lungs.

How much saliva is secreted by the salivary glands?

About $1$ liter.

What is Peristalsis?

The process that occurs when we swallow the bolus.

What is chyme?

A soppy, thin liquid that the bolus turns into after being in the stomach for about $3-4$ hours.

What are the physical dimensions of the Small Intestine?

It is $2.5\,cm$ wide and $6-7$ meters long.

How long does food stay in the small intestine to be fully digested and absorbed?

$3$ to $8$ hours.

What percentage of absorption takes place through vili in the small intestine?

$$90-95\%$$

Which organs are considered Accessory Organs?

Pancreas & Liver

What are the dimensions of the Large Intestine?

It is $6\,cm$ [wide] and $1.5$ meter long.

How long does waste typically stay in the large intestine?

$18$ hours to $2$ days.

What is the Appendix?

A small pouch located on the right abdomen where the intestines meet that plays no part in digestion.

How long is the Rectum?

$$15\,cm$$

What is the exit point for Defeccaton?

Anal Canal / Anus