DIGESTIVE SYSTEM- Human digestive system From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about features specific to human digestion. For basic information about digestion, see Digestion. Digestive system 17th century Persian digestive system.jpg Digestive system 17th century Persia Latin Systema digestorium In the human digestive system, the process of digestion has many stages, the first of which starts in the mouth (oral cavity). Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller components which can be absorbed and assimilated into the body. The secretion of saliva helps to produce a bolus which can be swallowed in the oesophagus to pass down into the stomach. Saliva also contains a catalytic enzyme called amylase which starts to act on food in the mouth. Digestion is helped by the mastication of food by the teeth and also by the muscular contractions of peristalsis. Gastric juice in the stomach is essential for the continuation of digestion as is the production of mucus in the stomach. Peristalsis is the rhythmic contraction of muscles that begins in the oesophagus and continues along the wall of the stomach. This initially results in the production of chyme which when fully broken down in the small intestine is absorbed into the blood. Most of the digestion of food takes place in the small intestine. Water and some minerals are reabsorbed back into the blood, in the colon of the large intestine. The waste products of digestion are defecated from the anus via the rectum.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 14:21:39 +0000
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