Digestive System

Steps of digestive system

1. Preparing

2. Absorption

3. Packaging

Nose

Taste enhancer (quality detector)

Lips

• Forms entrace to mouth

• Temperature detector

Teeth

breaks food into smaller pieces (Mastication)

Tongue

ingestion and sensory input for taste

Epiglottis

blocks food from windpipe

Esophagus

transports substances from your throat to your stomach w/ muscle contractions called peristalsis

Food

Nutrition for body

Bolus

chewed food at the moment of swallowing

Time spent in mouth-LES (lower esophagus sphincter)

5-6 seconds

Salivary Glands

Break down starch

Pyloric Sphincter

valve between the stomach & the small intestine controlling the release of chyme

Liver

producing bile, a fluid that breaks down fats for absorption and eliminates waste, and by processing nutrients (fats, carbs, proteins) from food, converting them into usable energy, and managing blood sugar

Gall Bladder

to store & concentrate bile & break down fats from food

Pancreas

produces digestive juices to break down food & neutralize stomach acid

Small intenstines

Duodenum jejunum, illeum

absorbs nutrients (microvilli - increase the surface area for efficient nutrient absorption)

Duodenum

1st part of the small intestine, is crucial for chemical digestion & nutrient absorption

Lower Esophageal Sphincter

one-way valve, allowing food & liquids to pass from the esophagus into the stomach

jejunum

Absorbs nutrients

Stomach

store food & mechanically and chemically break it down into a liquidy mixture while sterlizing

Acid (HCl)

breaks down food, kill harmful bacteria/pathogens, activate digestive enzymes, aids nutrient absorption, & ensures proper gut function by creating a highly acidic environment in the stomach

Mucus

Protects stomach lining

Time in stomach

2-4 hours

Time in digestive system

~30 hours

illeum

absorbs remaining nutrients, especially vitamin B12, bile acids, & any fats or proteins not absorbed by the jejunum

chyme

the pulpy & semi-fluid composition of partly undigested food

time spent in small intestines

5-6 hours

anal sphincter

control defecation, acting as a valve to keep feces in the rectum until the right time

Appendix

reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria, helping to repopulate the colon after illnesses

Large Intestines

absorb water and electrolytes from indigestible food matter

time spent in large intestines

12-24 hours

feces

undigested food, bacteria, and waste expelled from the body