DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Anatomy and Physiology

Digestive system
 Ingestion

of foods  Digestion of foods  Mechanical  Chemical  Absorption of nutrients from foods  Elimination of wastes(defecation)

Digestive system
 made

up of the digestive tracta tract series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anusand other organs that help anus the body break down and absorb food (accessory digestive organs)

Digestive Tract
 A.k.a.

Gastrointestinal tract;

alimentary canal
 Includes

the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, small & large intestines, anus  Involved in all digestive processes  Approximately 9 m long

PHARYNX/ THROAT
a

passageway for food and air  about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) long  A flexible flap of tissue called the epiglottis reflexively closes over the windpipe when we swallow to prevent choking

ESOPHAGUS
  

A.k.a. gullet; passage of food from pharynx to gullet; stomach From the throat, food travels down into this muscular tube in the chest Waves of muscle contractions called peristalsis force food down through the esophagus to the stomach At the end of the esophagus, a muscular ring or valve called a sphincter allows food to enter the stomach and then squeezes shut to keep food or fluid from flowing back up into the esophagus


CardioCardio-esophageal sphincter/ lower esophageal valve

STOMACH
 

  

C-shaped saclike structure that stores food stomach muscles churn and mix the food with acids and enzymes, breaking it into much smaller, digestible pieces An acidic environment is needed for the digestion that takes place in the stomach Glands in stomach lining produce about 3 quarts (2.8 L) of digestive juices each day In between esophagus (lower esophageal (lower sphincter) sphincter) and small intestines (pyloric sphincter) (pyloric sphincter)

SMALL INTESTINE
 

Longest section of GI tract; 6 m (20 ft) long The small intestine is made up of three parts:
  

the duodenum, the C-shaped first part duodenum, Cthe jejunum, the coiled midsection jejunum, the ileum, the final section that leads into the large ileum, intestine

The inner wall of the small intestine is covered with millions of microscopic, finger-like fingerprojections called villi


The villi are the vehicles through which nutrients can be absorbed into the body.

SMALL INTESTINE
 Most

substances in the food we eat need further digestion and must travel into the intestine before being absorbed  It where final digestion of foods and absorption of nutrients occur

LARGE INTESTINES


 

From the small intestine, undigested food (and some water) travels to the large intestine through a muscular ring or valve (ileo-ceccal (ileosphincter) sphincter) that prevents food from returning to the small intestine By the time food reaches the large intestine, the work of absorbing nutrients is nearly finished main function is to remove water from the undigested matter and form solid waste (feces) that can be excreted

LARGE INTESTINES


made up of these three parts:



The cecum is a pouch at the beginning of the large intestine that joins the small intestine
The appendix, a small, hollow, finger-like pouch, hangs at the appendix, fingerend of the cecum.

The colon extends from the cecum up the right side of the abdomen, across the upper abdomen, and then down the left side of the abdomen, finally connecting to the rectum.
The colon has three parts: the ascending colon; the transverse colon; colon, colon, which absorb fluids and salts; and the descending colon, colon, which holds the resulting waste. Bacteria in the colon help to digest the remaining food products.

The rectum is where feces are stored until they leave the digestive system through the anus as a bowel movement.

Accessory Digestive Organs

TEETH
 Two
 

sets

Milk/ decidous teeth Permanent teeth

 As

the teeth tear and chop the food, saliva food, moistens it for easy swallowing  Different shapes/types for specific functions


Incisors, canine, premolar, molar

SALIVARY GLANDS
  

When we see, smell, taste, or even imagine a tasty meal, our salivary glands located under the tongue and near the lower jaw, begin producing saliva This flow of saliva is set in motion by a brain reflex that's triggered when we sense food or think about eating


In response to this sensory stimulation, the brain sends impulses through the nerves that control the salivary glands, telling them to prepare for a meal

A digestive enzyme called amylase, which is amylase, found in saliva, starts to break down some of the carbohydrates (starches and sugars) in the food even before it leaves the mouth

The tongue
(lingual) muscle on the floor of the mouth  manipulates food for chewing mastication) (mastication) and swallowing (deglutition) deglutition)  Involves in speech and taste  It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva
 skeletal

LIVER
  

located under the rib cage in the right upper part of the abdomen produces bile, which helps the body absorb fat. bile, Bile is stored in the gall bladder until it is needed


These enzymes and bile travel through special channels (called ducts) directly into the small intestine, where they help to break down food

also plays a major role in the handling and processing of nutrients, which are carried to the liver in the blood from the small intestine Detoxifies substances (such as alcohol & drugs)

PANCREAS
 beneath

the stomach  produces enzymes that help digest proteins, fats, and carbohydrates  It also makes a substance that neutralizes stomach acid  Has both exocrine and endocrine functions

The hormones that control digestion

Gastrin causes the stomach to produce an acid for dissolving and digesting some foods.  also necessary for normal cell growth in the lining of the stomach, small intestine, and colon.  Secretin causes the pancreas to send out a digestive juice that is rich in bicarbonate.  The bicarbonate helps neutralize the acidic stomach contents as they enter the small intestine.  also stimulates the stomach to produce pepsin, an enzyme that digests protein, and stimulates the liver to produce bile.  Cholecystokinin (CCK) causes the pancreas to holecystokinin produce the enzymes of pancreatic juice, and causes the gallbladder to empty.  also promotes normal cell growth of the pancreas.