Digestive System Fact Sheets
Digestive System Fact Sheets
Digestive system is a body system responsible for extracting nutrients and other useful substances from food.
This system is composed of the digestive tract, also called alimentary canal, and the accessory organs that
play important roles in the digestion process.
Types of Digestion
Digestion has two types:
1. Mechanical digestion
In this digestion, there is physical breakdown of food into smaller parts. This happens in the mouth
through the action of the teeth, gums and tongue.
It also happens to some extent during churning in the stomach caused by peristalsis.
2. Chemical digestion
Chemical digestion starts in the mouth through the action of the enzyme present in the saliva.
It also occurs in the stomach and small intestine through the acids and enzymes.
Accessory organs aid in the chemical digestion. In this digestive process, the big food particles are
broken down to simpler substance that can be more readily absorbed by the body cells.
As the food is being chewed, saliva is released by the salivary glands, moistening the food for easy
swallowing.
The saliva contains salivary amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starches into smaller sugars.
ESOPHAGUS
The chewed food, referred to as bolus, passes
through the pharynx, then to the esophagus.
It is a long tube that connects the mouth to the
stomach.
The rhythmic and wavelike contraction of the
esophagus, called peristalsis, force and push the
bolus down to the stomach.
STOMACH
From the esophagus, the food enters the stomach. The upper and lower ends of the stomach have
sphincter muscles that contract and relax to allow food in and out of the stomach.
They contract to keep the food in.
The stomach is a large and pear-shaped sac that churns and bathes the food with acidic juices. The
churning action of the stomach physically breaks down the bolus into smaller parts,
Chemical digestion takes place through the action of the gastric juice and enzymes produced by the
stomach,
The bolus now has different consistency, and is referred to as chime.
The stomach slowly releases the chime into small intestine for further digestion.
SMALL INTESTINE
It is a coiled tube that measures approximately 7 meters long.
Being the largest part of the digestive system, it forms loops,
as it can fit in the small space in the abdomen.
It is in the small intestine where most of the digestion takes
place.
Another task of the small intestine is to absorb the nutrients
from the food, and bring the nutrients to the blood ready for
circulation and distribution.
Villi (singular villus) are tiny fingerlike structures, Each
villus is covered with even smaller similar structures called
microvilli.
The arrangement greatly increases the surface area for
absorption of nutrients into the blood for circulation. The undigested food is passed on to the large
intestine.
GROUP 2
1. Where does digestion begins?
2. Show the correct order how food travels in the digestive system?
mouth
anus
3. What part of the digestive system where all nutrients are absorb and will bring these to the
blood ready for circulation and distribution?
GROUP 3
1. What are the accessory organs? Describe each.
2. What is absorbed in large intestine?
3. What are the last section of digestive tract? What happened to the foods in these parts?
GROUP 4
1. What are the ailments of the digestive system? Explain each.
2. How are we going to take care of the digestive system?