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The Human Digestive System
The Human Digestive System
DIGESTIVE
SYSTEM
THE HUMAN DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Digestive System is a group of organs that work together to perform a
particular function.
The human digestive system includes the alimentary canal and also the
liver and the pancreas. All of these work together to break down the
food that we eat, so that it can be absorbed into the blood and
delivered to all body cells.
THE HUMAN DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
THE HUMAN DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
• Digestion takes place in two stages:
physical digestion: large pieces of food are broken down into smaller
pieces.
Chemical digestion: large molecules in the food are broken apart
into smaller molecules.
THE ALIMENTARY CANAL
The alimentary canal is a long tube which runs from the mouth to the anus.
It is part of the digestive system.
The wall of the alimentary canal contains muscles, which contract and relax
to make food move along. These muscular contractions are called peristalsis.
Sometimes, it is necessary to keep the food in one part of the alimentary
canal for a while, before its allowed to move to the next part. Special
muscles can close the tube completely in certain places. They are called
sphincter muscles.
To help the food to slide easily through the alimentary canal, it is lubricated
with mucus. Mucus is made in goblet cells which are found in the lining of
the alimentary canal, along its entire length.
THE MAIN ORGANS OF OF THE
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
THE MOUTH
Food is ingested using the teeth, lips and tongue.
The teeth bite or grind the food into smaller
pieces, increasing its surface area. This begins
physical digestion.
The tongue mixes the food with saliva and forms
it into a little balls that can be swallowed.
The salivary glands make saliva. This is a mixture
of water, mucus and the enzyme amylase. The
water helps to dissolve substances in the food,
allowing us to taste them. The mucus helps the
chewed food to bind together to form a small
ball, and lubricates it so that it slides easily down
the esophagus when it is swallowed. Amylase
begins to digest starch.
THE OESOPHAGUS
There are two tubes leading down from the
back of the mouth. The one in front is the
trachea or windpipe, which takes air down to
the lungs. Behind the trachea is the esophagus,
which takes food down the stomach.
The ‘hole’ in the center of the esophagus,
down which food can pass, is called a lumen.
There is a lumen in all parts of the alimentary
canal. All blood vessels also have a lumen.
The entrance to the stomach from the
esophagus is closed by a sphincter muscle. The
muscle relaxes to let food pass into the
stomach, then contracts to close the entrance
again.
THE STOMACH
The stomach has strong, muscular walls. The muscles contract and
relax to mix the food with the enzymes and mucus.
Like all parts of the alimentary canal, the stomach wall contains goblet
cells which secrete mucus. It also contains other cells which produce
enzymes and others which make hydrochloric acid. The enzymes
produced in the stomach digest proteins, so they are proteases.
The hydrochloric acid produces low pH, of about pH 2, in the
stomach, which kills harmful microorganisms in the food.
The stomach can store food for quite a long time. After one or two
hours, the sphincter at the bottom of the stomach opens and lets the
partly digested food move into the duodenum.
THE SMALL INTESTINE
The small intestine is the part of the alimentary canal between the stomach
and the colon. It is about 5m long. Different parts of the small intestine have
different names. The first part, nearest to the stomach, is the duodenum.
The last part, nearest to the colon, is the ileum.
The pancreas is a cream-coloured gland, lying just underneath the stomach.
A tube called the pancreatic duct leads from the pancreas into the
duodenum.
Pancreatic juice is a fluid made by pancreas. It flows along the pancreatic
duct into the duodenum. Pancreatic juice contains many different enzymes,
so chemical digestion continues in the duodenum.
The ileum is where all the digested nutrients absorbed into the blood.
THE LARGE INTESTINE
The final part of the alimentary
canal is the large intestine. It is
made up of the colon and
rectum. The colon absorbs much
of the water that still remains in
the food. The rectum stores
undigested food as feaces. These
are egested from the body
through the anus.
THE PANCREAS AND LIVER
The pancreas and liver are important organs in the digestive system,
but they are not part of the alimentary canal. Food does not pass
through them.
We have seen that the pancreas secretes a fluid containing enzymes,
which help with digestion of food in the duodenum. The liver also
secretes a fluid that helps with digestion. This fluid is called bile.
The bile that has been made by the liver is stored in the gall bladder.
When food enters the duodenum, the bile flows along the bile duct
and is mixed with the food in the duodenum.
Bile is a yellowish green, alkaline, watery liquid, which helps to
neutralize the acidic mixture from the stomach.