Fun Facts About the Digestive System | Some important facts and description of digestive system
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Human digestive system consists of the two categories of parts. The first category consists of those organs that are directly involved in the process of digestion and absorption. The second category consists of those organs that aid the process of digestion and absorption of food by producing chemical substances or by some other way, but are not directly involved in the process of digestion and absorption. The first category of organs may be called as “necessary organs” and the second category as “accessory organs” but it should be kept in mind that without the aid of accessory organs, the process of digestion is seriously impaired. When the accessory organs fail to perform their functions completely, the process of digestion may also completely stop.
Necessary Organs Of the digestive system:
ORAL CAVITY
ESOPHAGUS
STOMACH
SMALL INTESTINE
LARGE INTESTINE
ANUS
Fun Facts About the Digestive System | Some important facts and description of digestive system
Description of the digestive system
Also known as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the digestive system begins at the mouth, includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine (also known as the colon) and rectum, and ends at the anus. The entire system — from mouth to anus — is about 30 feet (9 meters) long, according to the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).
Digestion begins with the mouth. Even the smell of food can generate saliva, which is secreted by the salivary glands in the mouth, contains an enzyme, salivary amylase, which breaks down starch. Teeth, which are part of the skeletal system, play a key role in digestion. In carnivores, teeth are designed for killing and breaking down meat. Herbivores’ teeth are made for grinding plants and other food to ease them through the digestion process.
Swallowing pushes chewed food into the esophagus, where it passes through the oropharynx and hypopharynx. At this point, food takes the form of a small round mass and digestion becomes involuntary. A series of muscular contractions, called peristalsis, transports food through the rest of the system. The esophagus empties into the stomach, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The stomach’s gastric juice, which is primarily a mix of hydrochloric acid and pepsin, starts breaking down proteins and killing potentially harmful bacteria, according to ASGE. After an hour or two of this process, a thick semi-liquid paste, called chyme, forms.
At this point the pyloric sphincter valve opens and chyme enters the duodenum, where it mixes with digestive enzymes from the pancreas and acidic bile from the gall bladder, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The next stop for the chyme is the small intestine, a 20-foot (6-meter) tube-shaped organ, where the majority of the absorption of nutrients occurs. The nutrients move into the bloodstream and are transported to the liver.
The liver creates glycogen from sugars and carbohydrates to give the body energy and converts dietary proteins into new proteins needed by the blood system. The liver also breaks down unwanted chemicals, such as alcohol, which is detoxified and passed from the body as waste, the Cleveland Clinic noted.
Whatever material is left goes into the large intestine. The function of the large intestine, which is about 5 feet long (1.5 meters), is primarily for storage and fermentation of indigestible matter. Also called the colon, it has four parts: the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon and the sigmoid colon. This is where water from the chyme is absorbed back into the body and feces are formed primarily from water (75 percent), dietary fiber and other waste products, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Feces are stored here until they are eliminated from the body through defecation.
Many symptoms can signal problems with the GI tract, including: abdominal pain, blood in the stool, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, heartburn, incontinence, nausea and vomiting and difficulty swallowing, according to the NIH.
Fun Facts About the Digestive System | Some important facts and description of digestive system
-The average person produces 2 pints of saliva every day. ...
-The muscles in your esophagus act like a giant wave. ...
-The second part of your small intestine is called the jejunum. ...
-Enzymes in your digestive system are what separate food into the different nutrients that your body needs.
-Your stomach doesn't do most of the digestion.
-The surface area of the small intestine is huge.
-Stomachs vary in the animal kingdom.
People also ask
What are the 5 most important parts of the digestive system?
The main organs that make up the digestive system (in order of their function) are the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus. Helping them along the way are the pancreas, gall bladder and liver.
How the digestive system works facts?
Digestion breaks down large compounds in food and liquids into smaller molecules that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. The absorbed nutrients include carbohydrates, protein, fats, minerals, and vitamins. They are processed, then delivered throughout the body and used for energy, growth, and cell repair.
What is the most important in the digestive system?
The small intestine is the most important organ of the digestive system because it carries the major digestion and absorption of digestion food. Food is exposed to several digestive enzymes in small intestine only. Ileum of the small intestine has a large surface area that helps in the absorption of digested food.
What are 4 facts about the digestive system?
The stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks to protect itself, while it produces half a gallon of hydrochloric acid each day. The digestive system uses enzymes to break down foodstuffs. Proteases break down proteins, while amylases target carbohydrates. Lipases act on fats to break them down
What are the 3 importance of digestive system?
Why is digestion important? Digestion is important for breaking down food into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth, and cell repair. Food and drink must be changed into smaller molecules of nutrients before the blood absorbs them and carries them to cells throughout the body.
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