Vocab - The Digestive System

Digestive system function

Break down food, absorb nutrients from food, and excrete solid waste

Ingestion

The act of eating

Digestion

The breaking down of food into molecules small enough for the body to absorb

Absorption

Molecules taken up by cells lining the digestive tract

Elimination

Passage of undigested material out of the digestive tract

Mouth

Start site of digestion

Salivary glands

Secrete saliva

Amylase

Enzyme that begins the hydrolysis of starch molecules

Bolus

Undigested food

Pharynx

Throat

Epiglottis

Prevents food from entering the trachea

Esophagus

Muscular tube that connects the pharynx and stomach

Peristalsis

Muscle contractions in the esophagus that move the bolus down to the stomach

Stomach

Where most mechanical and some chemical digestion occurs

Gastric glands

Secrete three components of gastric juice

Mucus

Lubricates and protects stomach lining

Pepsinogen

Inactive form of the digestive enzyme pepsin

Hydrochloric acid

Converts pepsinogen to pepsin

Heliobacter pilori

Bacteria that causes loss of mucus

Small intestine

Organ where most chemical digestion takes place

Pancreas

Produces enzymes that break down carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids

Liver

Produces bile

Bile

Digests fat

Gallbladder

Stores bile

Chyme

Partially-digested food

Duodenum

Upper part of the small intestine

Villi

Absorb the nutrients from your food and pas them into the capillaries

Capillaries

Tiny blood vessels

Large intestine/colon

Removes water from the remaining undigested material

Rectum

Where waste material is stored

Anus

Where waste material exits the body