Biology 2
Digestive System
Digestive System
Primary Function:
● The function of the digestive system is to digest and absorb food and then excrete the
waste products with the help of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, large
intestine, and rectum. These parts continuously work together in unison to transform
every nutrient from the food we eat into a daily energy source we acquire to keep our
body functioning.
Two Types Of Digestion:
1. Mechanical Digestion
● involves physically breaking down food substances into smaller particles to more
efficiently undergo chemical digestion.
2. Chemical Digestion
● uses certain enzymes to break down nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins,
and fats, into smaller molecules.
Location:
● It includes your gastrointestinal (GI) tract and your biliary system.
1. Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract
The organs that make up your GI tract, in the order that they are
connected, include your mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine,
large intestine, and anus.
2. Biliary System
The Biliary system includes your liver, gallbladder, pancreas and bile
ducts.
Process of the Digestive System
● Ingestion - A stage where you take in food through your mouth or intake of food.
● Digestion - A stage where the food breaks down into small molecules that can be
absorbed by the body. Also a process where the breakdown of nutrients will be turned
into absorbable molecules.
● Absorption - A stage where the products of digestion are absorbed by the blood to be
transported and supplied to the rest of the body.
● Elimination - A stage where food molecules which are unable to be digested or
absorbed need to be eliminated from the body. It is the elimination of indigestible wastes
through the anus, in the form of feces.
Parts of Digestive System
1. Mouth - The digestive process starts in your mouth when you chew. Your salivary glands
make saliva, a digestive juice, which moistens food so it moves more easily through your
esophagus into your stomach.
2. Esophagus - Located in your throat near your trachea (windpipe). A passage that allows
for materials to go from mouth to stomach.
3. Stomach - An organ with strong muscular walls and located at the upper abdomen on
the left side of your body. The stomach holds the food and mixes it with acid and
enzymes that continue to break the food down into a liquid or paste.
4. Pancreas - It is vital in producing pancreatic juices or enzymes that help to digest food,
particularly protein.
5. Gallbladder - It stores bile, a thick liquid that's produced by the liver to help us digest fat.
6. Liver - It makes and secrete bile and to process and purify the blood containing newly
absorbed nutrients that are coming from the small intestine.
7. Small Intestine - Also called the colon, it is responsible for absorbing water from the
waste product passed from the small intestine.
8. Large Intestine - Water, vitamins, and electrolytes are absorbed in this part of the
gastrointestinal (GI) tract(pathway that food).
9. Rectum - It is a holding area for the feces or waste products. When the rectum is full, it
pushes the feces out of the body through the anus.
Essential Understanding:
The digestive system is a crucial system! Without it you would not survive. Our digestive system is how
we break down food into nutrients that feed our cells and give us energy to move, talk, grow, think,
reproduce, and all the other crazy things that humans do.
If you had no digestive system, you would have no ability to get the nutrients and sugars in food, and
you would die. The digestive system is very long, however. Some people have gotten into accidents and
damaged their intestines, and had to have part of them removed. The entire digestive system may be
over 30 feet long (it's all coiled up). Thankfully, we can live with only part of a digestive system. Without
the digestive system our bodies could lead to weakened immune systems as we don't have a source of
nutrients and energy to function. Our body would shut down if one system doesn't function well, this
would happen if our digestive system would not process in the body.
