Explain Digestive System
What do you mean by the digestive system? How does the system work?
Explain Digestive System
We eat various types of food which has to pass through the digestive system. So that the body can use it properly and the waste product gets excreted from the body. Our body cannot take required minerals, vitamins, etc substances directly from the complex form of food that we take so first of all we need to digested the complex form of food in the simplest form of food that is the function of a digestive system. Once the food is completely digested, the body utilises that food to produce energy so that we can perform our day-to-day activities. The waste material that is produced after the whole process is done needs to be excreted from the body. That is a whole different process, and if the waste material does not get excreted from the body, we are going for seriously ill.
Let’s discuss the process.
The food has to be processed to generate particles that are small and at the same texture; this is achieved by crushing the food with our teeth. When we eat something we like our mouth waters. This is not only water but a fluid called saliva, which is a secreted by the salivary glands. This saliva makes the small texture of food ground by teeth as smooth as the learning of two candles is soft so that it can move smoothly through the canals. The Saliva contains an enzyme called salivary amylase that breaks down starch, which is a complex molecule, to give sugar. The food is mixed thoroughly with saliva and moved around the mouth while chewing by the muscular tongue. From the mouth, the food is taken to the stomach through the food pipe or oesophagus. The stomach is a large organ that expands when food enters it. The muscular walls of the stomach help in mixing the food with more digestive juices. These digestion functions are taken care of by the gastric glands present in the Wall of the stomach. These release hydrochloric acid as a protein digestion enzyme called pepsin and mucus. Hydrochloric acid creates an acidic medium to break down the fore into the more simplest form where the mucus helps the walls of the stomach to protect it from the effect of hydrochloric acid. The exit of food from the stomach is regulated by a sprinkle muscle that releases a small amount into the small intestine from the stomach, the food now enters the small intestine. This is the longest part of the alimentary canal, which is fitted into a compact space because of extensive coiling. The length of the small intestine differs in various animals depending on the food they eat. The small intestine is the site of the complete digestion of carbohydrates protein and fat is received the secretion of the liver and pancreas for the purpose the food coming from the stomach is acidic and has to be made alkaline for the pancreatic enzymes to act bile juice from the liver accomplishes this in addition to acting on fats. Fats are present in the intestine in the form of large globules, which makes it difficult for enzymes to act on them. Bile salts break them down into smaller globules, increasing the efficiency of enzyme action. This is similar to the emulsification action. The pancreas secretes pancreatic juices, which contain enzymes and trypsin for digesting proteins and lip stain for breaking down emulsified fats. The wall of the small intestine contains a gland that secretes enzymes that induce the enzyme present in it to finally convert the protein into amino acid, complex carbohydrates into glucose and fats and fatty acid and glycerol. The digested food is taken up by the walls of the intestine, the inner lining of the small intestine, and numerous figure-like projections called villi. Which increases the surface area for absorption. The villi are richly supplied with blood vessels that take absorbed food to every cell of the body, where it is utilized for obtaining energy, building up new tissues, and repairing old tissue.
– Written By Aruja
Digestion is a very important process for the proper functioning of our body. Through the process of digestion, the nutrients and water are absorbed from the food and used up in the body, which gives energy to the body to perform work. Even the working of organs in our body needs energy. The process through which the food enters our body and is then passed through various organs to get digested is governed by the digestive system. It comprises of various glands and organs such as salivary glands, mouth, esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus.
Initially, food enters our body from the mouth, the fluid secreted by the salivary gland moistens the food, and the teeth chew it. The chewed food with the saliva then goes into the food pipe called the esophagus, and through the food pipe, it reaches the stomach. In the stomach, it stays for 5-6 hours, where the food is mixed and ground, and with the help of certain enzymes and acids, the food breaks down and becomes of a paste consistency.
Then the food enters the small intestine where the process of breaking down of food continues with the help of the secretion of pancreas that is pancreatic juice and liver is bile. Here, the nutrients are broken down into their simplest form such as proteins are broken into amino acids, fats into fatty acids and then are absorbed.
Then the semi-liquid paste enters the large intestine, where the water and electrolytes are absorbed from the digested food.
Then the left over waste collected in the rectum and excreted through the anus and is eliminated out.
The process of digestion takes place smoothly as it helps smoothen the movement of food in the system and cleanses the digestive system. By taking the right amout of water, constipation does not takes place.
– Written By Kumari
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