Digestive System

Digestive System
 What is the digestive system?
The digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal tract—also

called the GI tract or digestive tract—and the liver, pancreas, and
gallbladder. The GI tract is a series of hollow organs joined in a long,
twisting tube from the mouth to the anus. The hollow organs that
make up the GI tract are the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small
intestine, large intestine, and anus. The liver, pancreas, and
gallbladder are the solid organs of the digestive system.
The small intestine has three parts. The first part is called the
duodenum. The jejunum is in the middle and the ileum is at the end.
The large intestine includes the appendix, cecum, colon, and rectum.
The appendix is a finger-shaped pouch attached to the cecum. The
cecum is the first part of the large intestine. The colon is next. The
rectum is the end of the large intestine.
View full-sized imageHuman model showing the digestive system,

which includes the mouth, salivary glands, esophagus, stomach, liver,
gallbladder, pancreas, large and small intestines, appendix, rectum,
and anus.
 The digestive system
Bacteria in your GI tract, also called gut flora or microbiome, help with
digestion. Parts of your nervous and circulatory NIH external link
systems also help. Working together, nerves, hormones, bacteria,
blood, and the organs of your digestive system digest the foods and
liquids you eat or drink each day.
 Why is digestion important?
Digestion is important because your body needs nutrients from food

and drink to work properly and stay healthy. Proteins, fats,
carbohydrates, vitamins NIH external link, minerals NIH external link,
and water are nutrients. Your digestive system breaks nutrients into
parts small enough for your body to absorb and use for energy,
growth, and cell repair.
 Proteins break into amino acids
Fats break into fatty acids and glycerol
Carbohydrates break into simple sugars

MyPlate offers ideas and tips to help you meet your individual health
needs External link.
Girl eating a tomato with yellow peppers, broccoli, carrots, and pasta.
Photo also shows a glass of water.
Your digestive system breaks nutrients into parts that are small
enough for your body to absorb.
 How does my digestive system work?
Each part of your digestive system helps to move food and liquid
through your GI tract, break food and liquid into smaller parts, or
both. Once foods are broken into small enough parts, your body can
absorb and move the nutrients to where they are needed. Your large
intestine absorbs water, and the waste products of digestion become
stool. Nerves and hormones help control the digestive process.
 The digestive process

 Previous column Next column
 Organ Movement Digestive Juices Added
 Mouth Chewing Saliva
 Esophagus Peristalsis None
 Stomach Upper muscle in stomach relaxes to let food enter,
and lower muscle mixes food with digestive juice Stomach
acid and digestive enzymes
 Small intestine Peristalsis Small intestine digestive juice
 Pancreas None Pancreatic juice
 Liver None Bile
 Large intestine Peristalsis None
 How does food move through my GI tract?
Food moves through your GI tract by a process called peristalsis. The

large, hollow organs of your GI tract contain a layer of muscle that
enables their walls to move. The movement pushes food and liquid
through your GI tract and mixes the contents within each organ. The
muscle behind the food contracts and squeezes the food forward,
while the muscle in front of the food relaxes to allow the food to
move.
The digestive process starts when you put food in your mouth.
 Mouth. Food starts to move through your GI tract when you eat.
When you swallow, your tongue pushes the food into your
throat. A small flap of tissue, called the epiglottis, folds over
your windpipe to prevent choking and the food passes into your
esophagus.
 Esophagus. Once you begin swallowing, the process becomes
automatic. Your brain signals the muscles of the esophagus and
peristalsis begins.
 Lower esophageal sphincter. When food reaches the end of your
esophagus, a ringlike muscle—called the lower esophageal
sphincter —relaxes and lets food pass into your stomach. This
sphincter usually stays closed to keep what’s in your stomach
from flowing back into your esophagus.
 Stomach. After food enters your stomach, the stomach muscles
mix the food and liquid with digestive juices. The stomach
slowly empties its contents, called chyme, into your small
intestine.
 Small intestine. The muscles of the small intestine mix food with
digestive juices from the pancreas, liver, and intestine, and
push the mixture forward for further digestion. The walls of the
small intestine absorb water and the digested nutrients into
your bloodstream. As peristalsis continues, the waste products
of the digestive process move into the large intestine.
 Large intestine. Waste products from the digestive process
include undigested parts of food, fluid, and older cells from the
lining of your GI tract. The large intestine absorbs water and
changes the waste from liquid into stool. Peristalsis helps move
the stool into your rectum.
 Rectum. The lower end of your large intestine, the rectum,
stores stool until it pushes stool out of your anus during a bowel
movement.
 How does my digestive system break food into small parts my

body can use?
As food moves through your GI tract, your digestive organs break the
food into smaller parts using:
 Motion, such as chewing, squeezing, and mixing

 Digestive juices, such as stomach acid, bile, and enzymes
 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. Saliva also has an enzyme that begins to
break down starches in your food.
 Esophagus. After you swallow, peristalsis pushes the food down
your esophagus into your stomach.
 Stomach. Glands in your stomach lining make stomach acid and
enzymes that break down food. Muscles of your stomach mix
the food with these digestive juices.
 Pancreas. Your pancreas makes a digestive juice that has
enzymes that break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
The pancreas delivers the digestive juice to the small intestine
through small tubes called ducts.
 Liver. Your liver makes a digestive juice called bile that helps
digest fats and some vitamins. Bile ducts carry bile from your
liver to your gallbladder for storage, or to the small intestine for
use.
 Gallbladder. Your gallbladder stores bile between meals. When
you eat, your gallbladder squeezes bile through the bile ducts
into your small intestine.
 Small intestine. Your small intestine makes digestive juice,
which mixes with bile and pancreatic juice to complete the
breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Bacteria in your
small intestine make some of the enzymes you need to digest
carbohydrates. Your small intestine moves water from your
bloodstream into your GI tract to help break down food. Your
small intestine also absorbs water with other nutrients.
 Large intestine. In your large intestine, more water moves from
your GI tract into your bloodstream. Bacteria in your large
intestine help break down remaining nutrients and make
vitamin K NIH external link. Waste products of digestion,
including parts of food that are still too large, become stool.
 What happens to the digested food?
The small intestine absorbs most of the nutrients in your food, and
your circulatory system passes them on to other parts of your body to
store or use. Special cells help absorbed nutrients cross the intestinal
lining into your bloodstream. Your blood carries simple sugars, amino
acids, glycerol, and some vitamins and salts to the liver. Your liver
stores, processes, and delivers nutrients to the rest of your body
when needed.
The lymph system, a network of vessels that carry white blood cells
and a fluid called lymph throughout your body to fight infection,
absorbs fatty acids and vitamins.
Your body uses sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, and glycerol to build
substances you need for energy, growth, and cell repair.
 How does my body control the digestive process?

Your hormones and nerves work together to help control the digestive
process. Signals flow within your GI tract and back and forth from
your GI tract to your brain.
 Hormones
Cells lining your stomach and small intestine make and release
hormones that control how your digestive system works. These
hormones tell your body when to make digestive juices and send
signals to your brain that you are hungry or full. Your pancreas also
makes hormones that are important to digestion.
 Nerves
You have nerves that connect your central nervous system—your

brain and spinal cord—to your digestive system and control some
digestive functions. For example, when you see or smell food, your
brain sends a signal that causes your salivary glands to “make your
mouth water” to prepare you to eat.
You also have an enteric nervous system (ENS)—nerves within the

walls of your GI tract. When food stretches the walls of your GI tract,
the nerves of your ENS release many different substances that speed
up or delay the movement of food and the production of digestive
juices. The nerves send signals to control the actions of your gut
muscles to contract and relax to push food through your intestines.
 Actividad:
✓ Título:
Sistema Digestivo
✓ Idea Principal:
El sistema digestivo es una compleja red de órganos responsables de

descomponer los alimentos en nutrientes, los cuales son luego
absorbidos por el torrente sanguíneo. Comprende el tracto
gastrointestinal y órganos accesorios como el hígado, el páncreas y la
vesícula biliar.
✓ Idea Secundaria:
El proceso digestivo involucra varios órganos que trabajan juntos para

descomponer los alimentos, absorber nutrientes y eliminar desechos.
✓ Resumen en español:
El sistema digestivo es una compleja red de órganos que descompone
los alimentos en nutrientes, los cuales son luego absorbidos por el
torrente sanguíneo. Comprende el tracto gastrointestinal (GI) y
órganos accesorios como el hígado, el páncreas y la vesícula biliar.
El Tracto Gastrointestinal
* Boca: Ingestión de alimentos y descomposición inicial mediante la

masticación y la saliva.
* Esófago: La peristalsis impulsa los alimentos hacia el estómago.
* Estómago: Los alimentos se mezclan con ácido gástrico y enzimas

para su mayor descomposición.
* Intestino Delgado: Aquí ocurre la absorción de nutrientes, ayudada

por los jugos digestivos del páncreas, hígado e intestino mismo.
* Intestino Grueso: Absorción de agua y formación de productos de

desecho.
* Recto: Almacena las heces.
* Ano: Elimina los desechos.

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Digestive System

 What is the digestive system?

The digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal tract—also

View full-sized imageHuman model showing the digestive system,

 The digestive system

 Why is digestion important?

Digestion is important because your body needs nutrients from food

 Proteins break into amino acids

Fats break into fatty acids and glycerol

Carbohydrates break into simple sugars

 How does my digestive system work?

 The digestive process

Food moves through your GI tract by a process called peristalsis. The

 How does my digestive system break food into small parts my

 Motion, such as chewing, squeezing, and mixing

 What happens to the digested food?

 How does my body control the digestive process?

You have nerves that connect your central nervous system—your

You also have an enteric nervous system (ENS)—nerves within the

El sistema digestivo es una compleja red de órganos responsables de

El proceso digestivo involucra varios órganos que trabajan juntos para

* Boca: Ingestión de alimentos y descomposición inicial mediante la

* Esófago: La peristalsis impulsa los alimentos hacia el estómago.

* Estómago: Los alimentos se mezclan con ácido gástrico y enzimas

* Intestino Delgado: Aquí ocurre la absorción de nutrientes, ayudada

* Intestino Grueso: Absorción de agua y formación de productos de

* Recto: Almacena las heces.

* Ano: Elimina los desechos.

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