Digestive system of Humans
The mouth is the beginning point of the human digestive system, which continues all the way down to the anus. It encompasses a variety of anatomical components, including the mouth, oesophagus, pancreas, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, gall bladder, and anus.
The Pharynx the Esophagus the Stomach the Small Intestines the Large Intestines and the Rectum are the Accessory Organs That Make Up the Digestion Process.
Consumption, followed by Propagation, Mixing, and Secretion
Digestion\sAbsorption
Excretion\sDisorders
Functions
Notes
The Digestive System of the Human Body
A collection of organs in the human body form what is known as the digestive system. This system is responsible for converting the fuel that the body gets from meals into usable energy. The digestive system is comprised anatomically of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as ancillary organs such as the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas. The mouth, the stomach, the oesophagus, the small intestine, and the large intestine, which includes the rectum and the anus, are the hollow organs that make up the digestive system, often known as the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract).
Both the human digestive system and nutrition refer to the process by which an organism takes in food and then uses that food to generate energy. This is an essential mechanism that enables living things to receive the energy they need from a variety of different places. The nutrients that are contained in the food that we consume are subjected to a significant amount of processing before they are used to produce energy. Digestion is the term used to describe this process. This process requires specific organs and systems, which are present in humans and other animals.
The alimentary canal, in addition to a number of other auxiliary organs and organ systems, are essential components of the digestive process. Due to the fact that people only have one stomach, the procedure is rather straightforward. This indicates that human stomach only has one chamber, in contrast to other animals such as cows, who have four chambers in their stomachs.
In addition, several components of the neurological and circulatory systems have an important function to play in the digestive process. The process of digestion is completed by using a variety of components, including nerves, bacteria, hormones, blood, and other organs of the digestive system.
Let’s take a close look at the digestive system of a human being, dissecting its components and analyzing their roles. In addition, information on the digestive system may be found at the conclusion of the chapter.
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Diagram Of The Human Digestive System
The following graphic illustrates the many sections of the digestive system that are responsible for the transformation of food into the vital nutrients that are then absorbed by the body.
An Illustration Of The Digestive System Of The Human Body
Components of the Digestive System of a Human Being
The human body’s digestive system is made up of a number of organs that collaborate to break down food into usable forms of energy and other fundamental nutrients in order to keep the body functioning properly. Our bodies digest and make use of the food we eat, and the bits of the food that aren’t utilised are expelled via the bowels as waste.
The term “digestive system” refers to the combination of the gastrointestinal tract (also known as the alimentary canal) and the organs that are located in close proximity to it (tongue, liver, pancreas, etc.). These two components, when combined, are beneficial to the digestive process.
The alimentary canal is a lengthy tube that the food that we consume travels through on its way out of the body. It starts in the mouth (also known as the buccal or oral cavity), then travels via the throat, the oesophagus or food pipe, the stomach, the small intestines, the large intestines, and the rectum before arriving at the anus. As the food particles go through the different compartments of the alimentary canal, they undergo slow digestion as the process begins.
Accessory organs are organs that are involved in the digestive process but are not technically a part of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). They accomplish this by causing the release of certain enzymes, which aid in the digestive process by breaking down the meal.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at the digestive system of the human body, including its components and the activities they perform:
Food begins its trip through the body in the mouth, often known as the oral cavity. There are a number of additional organs than the tongue, salivary glands, and teeth that are involved in the digesting process. The purpose of teeth is to ground food into smaller bits, and saliva is used to keep them wet while they do so. The tongue is then responsible for pushing the food down into the pharynx.
Pharynx
A fibrous and muscular tube in the form of a y that is linked to the very tip of the mouth. Its primary function is to assist in the movement of food that has been chewed or crushed from the mouth to the oesophagus. Because air must pass through the pharynx on its journey to the lungs after entering the nasal cavity, it plays an important role in the body’s respiratory system as well.
Oesophagus
This is a muscular tube that joins the pharynx, which is a portion of an upper segment of the gastrointestinal system, to the larynx, which is also a component of the larynx. Along with its length, it provides the food that is ingested.
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Stomach
It performs the function of a muscle bag and is located on the left side of the abdominal cavity, just under the diaphragm. This essential organ not only works as a storage space for the food, but it also buys the body some much-needed time to digest the food. The stomach is responsible for the production of digestive enzymes as well as hydrochloric acid, both of which are essential to the digesting process.
Mucus is a thin, watery substance that is generated by the mucous membranes of the body. It does this by shielding the lining of the stomach and the gastric pits from the acid that is produced by the glands in order to kill the bacteria that arrived in the digestive tract along with the food particles.
The digestive enzymes are a collection of enzymes that perform their activity by cleaving polymeric macromolecules, such as biopolymers, into the smaller and more straightforward components they consist of.
It is the digestive fluid that is produced by the stomach during the process of digestion and is known as hydrochloric acid. It does this by eliminating potentially dangerous microbes that are found in the food particles.
Small Intestine
The small intestine is a segment of the lower gastrointestinal system that consists of a thin, long tube that may be up to 10 feet in length. It is located just behind the stomach and takes up the majority of the space inside the abdominal cavity. The whole of the small intestine is coiled, and its inner surface is ridged and folded in several places.
Large Intestine
This is a lengthy tube that is rather thick and is maybe about 5 feet in length. It is situated directly below the stomach and wraps around the upper and side margins of the small intestine. It takes in water and is made up of bacteria that live in harmony with one another to promote the decomposition of waste products and the collection of trace nutrients.
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Rectum
Stool is the name given to the solid waste that is expelled from the body after being processed via the rectum at the end of the large intestine, where waste materials are excreted. It is kept as semi-solid feces in the rectum, which are subsequently expelled from the body via the anal canal during the act of defecation.
Pancreas One of the Accessory Organs
It is a sizable gland that may be seen just beneath the stomach. It has a short length, with its front end being attached to the duodenum and its back end pointing towards the left side of the abdominal cavity. The process of chemical digestion is finished when the pancreas releases digestive enzymes into the bloodstream.
Read more about the pancreas here.
Liver
The liver is an auxiliary organ of the digestive system that is about triangular in shape and has a rusty brown color. It is placed to the right of the stomach. It is responsible for producing bile, which is then secreted into the small intestine, where it assists in the breakdown of fat. The gallbladder is responsible for the storage and recycling of bile. It is a very little organ that is shaped like a pear and may be found right next to the liver.
Cellulose in digestion is another interesting read.
The Process of Digestion
The mouth is where digestion begins, and the small intestine is where it concludes; the large intestines are primarily responsible for absorbing any remaining water from undigested food and facilitating bacterial fermentation of materials that can no longer be digested. Digestion begins in the mouth and concludes in the small intestine.
The alimentary canal, also known as the gastrointestinal tract, is a network of hollow organs and tubes that extends from the mouth cavity all the way down through the pharynx, the stomach, the small intestines, the large intestines, and finally the anus. This network of organs and tubes is called the gastrointestinal tract. As they go through the different compartments of the gastrointestinal system, food particles undergo digestion at a more or less slow pace.
The following processes make up the digestive process that takes place in the body.
Ingestion
Mastication is the very first step that must be taken (chewing). Before the food is sent farther down into the food pipe, the salivary glands and the tongue work together to assist the food become more lubricated and wet.
Mixing and shifting around
It entails lubricating and otherwise altering food before sending it down the food pipe, via the food pipe (using peristalsis), and into the stomach.
Secretion
The digestive process is assisted by enzymes and acids that are secreted by organs such as the stomach, small intestine, liver, and pancreas. In order to perform its job, it separates the constituent parts of food into their most basic and readily absorbable forms.
Additionally Read: What Is the Liver?
Digestion
The process of reducing complex food particles into simpler molecules in the presence of enzymes and acids that are released by various digestive organs during digestion.
Learn more about digestive fluids by reading on.
Absorption
This process gets under way in the small intestine, which is also where the majority of the minerals and nutrients are absorbed. The large intestines are responsible for the absorption of any surplus water that may be present in the stuff that cannot be digested.
Excretion
The process of eliminating waste products and chemicals that cannot be digested from the body via the act of feces.
The digestive process may be broken down into six distinct stages, which are as follows in a nutshell:
Consumption “Mixing and Moving” [Ingestion] The secretion of Absorption, then Excretion, then Digestion
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Disorders of the Digestive System of the Human Body
The process of ejecting stomach contents via the mouth is referred to as vomiting.
Diarrhea refers to irregular bowel movements that are watery and frequent. Diarrhea that lasts for an extended period of time might ultimately cause dehydration.
The medical term for the condition known as “constipation,” in which the feces get trapped inside the rectum as a result of an irregular bowel movement.
Indigestion is a painful or uncomfortable condition that occurs in the stomach as a consequence of improper digestion of food, which leads to a sense of fullness in the stomach. The most common causes of indigestion include insufficient enzyme production, food poisoning, anxiety, overeating, and the use of foods that are high in spice.
