The Digestive System

mouth

teeth and enzymes chew and break down food

gallbladder

stores bile

liver

makes bile for fat digestion, stores vitamins and minerals, removes toxins

salivary glands

produces the enzyme called amylase

pancreas

makes amylase and lipase

duodendum

first part of the small intestine, food from the stomach mixes with bile and digestive enzymes, absorbs nutrients into the body

epiglottis

closes over the windpipe when swallowing

oesophagus

carries food from mouth to stomach

stomach

stores and churns food during digestion, acids soften food and kills bacteria

small intestine

absorbs nutrients

large intestine

reabsorbs blood into the blood stream, stores and forms faeces, contains 'good' bacteria which provides vitamins B and K

anus

end of the digestive canal, faeces exit here

rectum

stores and removes faeces from the body

types of teeth

incisors, canines, molars, premolars

stages of human digestion

ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation, egestion

types of digestion

physical (teeth and muscles) and chemical (enzymes)

catalyst

substance that speeds up a chemical reaction

enzymes

type of catalyst in human organs

peristalsis

when the oesophagus muscles contract, pushing food into the stomach

what does a stomach contain

hydrochloric acid, enzymes

villi

small folds on the small intestine adapted to absorb substances into the body

villi features

walls are one cell thick, has its own capillaries which carry nutrients out of the digestive system and into the circulatory system

organ

group of tissues working together to carry out a function

system

group of organs working together to carry out a function

digestion

breakdown of large food molecules into smaller food molecules