DIGESTIVE SYSTEM during the process of digestion the

stomach
Why is Digestive System Important?
3. pyloric sphincter- facilitates the
• Every cell in the body requires nutrients, movement of food to the small intestine
yet most cells cannot leave their position
SMALL INTESTINE
in the body and travel to a food source
• Food must be converted to a usable • Final digestion of food
form and delivered to the cells • Absorption of food
• Duodenum- upper
Role of digestive system
• Jejunum- center
• absorb nutrients • Ileum- lower
• water • Longest; most coiled
• eliminate waste products • Site of final digestion and absorption
• electrolytes • 22 ft long
• Food- 4 to 5 hours
Parts of the Digestive Tube
• Segment movement
• Digestive Tube- alimentary canal (30 ft
LARGE INTESTINE
long)
• secretes juices – enzymes • receives undigested food
1. MOUTH- anterior opening • absorbs water and salts
- guarded by upper and lower lips • remove waste products
- area of mastication • connected - small intestine – appendix
- bolus: for the lubrication of food • posterior – digestive tube
2. PHARYNX- narrow space behind - oral • defecate everyday
cavity • 5 to 25 hrs./day
- food and air will pass
- swallowing happens DIVISION OF LARGE INTESTINE
3. ESOPHAGUS- narrow organ (pharynx
• Caecum – upper
and stomach)
• Colon – center
- food enters before going to the
• Rectum – lower
stomach
• undigested food before it is being
- peristalsis movement
released through the anus is temporarily
4. STOMACH- product temporarily stored
stored in the rectum
- churning movement
• Anus is the last part of the digestive
- capacity- 2.5 pints
passage and is being regulated by anal
- chyme
sphincter
- stay- 3 to 5 hours
SALIVARY GLANDS
Three divisions of Stomach
• produce about one liter of saliva
1. esophageal/cardiac sphincter- facilitates
everyday
the movement of food towards the
stomach • Saliva contains mucus and
2. fundus- top most part of the stomach
stores the gas that is being produced
 • enzyme known as salivary amylase, that PANCREATIC JUICES
is very important in the digestion
Pancreatic amylase – digests starch and
process in the mouth
glycerol into maltose
DIGESTIVE GLANDS
Pancreatic lipase – digests fats into fatty
1. Mucous Gland: acids and glycerol
-oral cavity
Trypsinogen – digests protein into
esophagus
polypeptides
small intestine
large intestine Chemotrypsinogen – digests polypeptides to
2. Gastric Gland amino acids
-rugae of stomach
3. Intestinal Gland • Why is liver important? It is needed in
-intestines the clotting part in the body, likewise, it
is the one that releases bile, as well as,
DIGESTIVE JUICES fibrinogen. This also aid up in the
production of plasma proteins, as well
1. Mucous Gland
as, detoxification of nitrogenous wastes
-mucin – lubrication in the body. Liver is necessary in vitamin
A and vitamin D formation, as well as,
2. Gastric Gland
storage and at the same time it will
-mucin – lubrication
destroy unhealthy red blood cells.
HCl – pepsinogen to pepsin
pepsinogen – digest protein What are the Different Processes of Digestive
lipase – digest fat into fatty acid System?

• You learned already that digestion is the

3. Intestinal Gland
process that breaks down the food into
-Mucin – lubrication
smaller pieces to become absorbable by
Peptidase – break polypeptide chains
the cells.
(amino acid)
Nucleases – break nucleotides (nitrogen • Substances from the digested food will
bases) be absorbed through both active and
passive movement of substances from
gastrointestinal (GI) tract to the
• Do you have any idea which part of the
extracellular fluid.
body produces insulin? Yes, it is our
pancreas. What is the role of insulin in -Motility is the movement of food in the
our body? Well, sugar level in our body digestive tract through muscle contraction
is being controlled by insulin. What else
about pancreas? It also secretes -Secretion is the release of water and ions
pancreatic juices that will help in the from the extracellular fluid to the digestive
digestion of our food in our small tract and release of substances synthesized
intestine. by the GI epithelial cells

• Let us remember that absorption is

not regulated meaning “what you
eat can really affect the body”, will
 you agree? Why? What about being triggered by sight, smell, touch and even
motility and secretion? thinking of the food. It softens and lubricates
the food for it to be swallowed easily.
Both motility and secretion are
Swallowing or deglutition is the action wherein
being regulated in order to
the food or bolus is moved towards the
maximize the availability of
esophagus at the same time epiglottis will fold
absorbable material.
over the larynx so that the food will not enter
-Motility must be regulated otherwise there will into the respiratory tract at the same time
be no enough time for the food in our GI tract to esophageal sphincter relaxes as the bolus will
be digested and absorbed pass through the esophagus.

-Secretion is also regulated otherwise food in the -How much do you think the amount of food,
GI tract will not be broken down into an drink and saliva that will enter into the fundus
absorbable form each day?

Do you have any idea of how much fluid will • There will be 3.5 liters each day.
pass through the lumen of the GI tract?
-What are the general functions of stomach? It is
-nine liters a day and about two liters of that for digestion, protection and storage.
volume will pass in the GI system through the
It is the role of the stomach to stores the food
mouth
and regulates its movement towards the small
-seven liters from the water in the body secreted intestine, likewise the stomach also digests food
together with enzymes and mucus into soupy mixture called chyme
-Remember that if the fluid secreted in the and at the same time protects the body by
lumen is not being reabsorbed the body will be destroying bacteria and other pathogens that
dehydrated are swallowed with food.
-Of the nine liters half of it is secreted from -When food reaches the stomach it will relax and
accessory organs like salivary glands, pancreas expand to hold the increased amount of food
and liver, while the other half come from the that will enter into the stomach and that
epithelial cells of the digestive tract mediated reflex is what we called receptive
relaxation.
-When you smell food or see a very palatable
food or even thinking your favorite food, what is The stomach will regulate the amount of food
your reaction? Yes, you want to eat and even that will enter into the small intestine because if
crave for it and that is what we called cephalic more food will enter into the small intestine than
phase what it can hold then it cannot digest and absorb
the load and more amount of chyme will move
-What do you think will happen next? Well,
on to the large intestine.
maybe you will buy that food or cook that
particular food and eat those food until you are Remember, large intestine is not designed for
satisfied over loaded amount of nutrient absorption and
will turn out to pass out as feces that will result
-What is your observation upon eating your
in diarrhea.
favorite food? Yes, the food that enters in the
mouth is met by secretion of saliva and that is
-The small intestine will mostly reabsorb the nine
liters that will pass through it.

It is in the duodenum and jejunum where the

transportation of nutrients and ions will take
place.

It is also in the small intestine where final

digestion and absorption takes place.

By the end of ileum, about one and a half liters

of unabsorbed chyme will remain.

Chyme that enters the colon will continue to be

mixed with segmental contractions.

Forward movement is minimal during mixing

contraction known as mass movement.

These contractions occur three to four times a

day.

-Mass movement is responsible for the sudden

distension of the rectum that triggers defecation

Defecation, like urination, is subject to

emotional influence.

Stress may increase intestinal motility and cause

psychosomatic diarrhea in some individuals but
decrease motility and cause constipation in
others

When feces are retained in the colon, either

through consciously ignoring a defecation reflex
or through decreased motility, continued water
absorption creates hard, dry feces that are
difficult to expel