Definition Definition Organ system that helps in the digestion of food by mechanical and biochemical processes. The digestive system breaks down food into simpler components that enable the body to then absorb or transport nutrients. The human digestive system includes the gastrointestinal tract or alimentary canal and the associate glands. The organs of the gastrointestinal tract include the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. The associated glands include salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.
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Introduction
The digestive system comprises of various organs working together in a synchronised manner. It starts with an oral cavity (mouth) which receives the food through ingestion. It is connected to the food pipe (oesophagus). Oesophagus delivers the food to the stomach from where the contents are passed on to intestines. The small intestine receives the food from the stomach and passes it on to large intestine from where the remaining food content (faeces) is released outside the body through an opening called the anus.
Explanation
The function of the digestive system is to allow the entry and digestion of food and removal of undigested food from the body. It breaks the larger components of the food to smaller components that could be absorbed by the cells for nutritional and energy requirements. The process of digestion starts in the oral cavity with the action of enzyme known as salivary amylase on the starch content of the food. In the stomach, the protein components are digested by the pepsin enzymes to yield small peptides. The churning activity in the stomach also breaks the food into much smaller pieces. In the small intestine, digestion of fat, carbohydrate and peptides occur. The digestion activity here is facilitated by secretions from pancreatic and gall bladder secretions. Digestion yields the production of sugars, amino acids and many other components. Sugars are metabolized in cells to generate energy. The digestive system also removes certain toxic components from the body in the form of faeces and helps the body to remain healthy.
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