...Assignment: Human Digestion Summary Suehaydee Figueroa SCI/241 NUTRITION Professor Tiera Pack Lawyer March 21, 2013 The human digestive system is a complex series of organs and glands that processes food. In order to use the food we eat, our body has to break the food down into smaller molecules that it can process; it also has to excrete waste. Most of the digestive organs (like the stomach and intestines) are tube-like and contain the food as it makes its way through the body. The digestive system is essentially a long, twisting tube that runs from the mouth to the anus, plus a few other organs (like the liver and pancreas) that produce or store digestive chemicals. The start of the process starts with the mouth. The digestive process begins in the mouth. Food is partly broken down by the process of chewing and by the chemical action of salivary enzymes. These enzymes are produced by the salivary glands and break down starches into smaller molecules. On the way to the stomach: the esophagus - After being chewed and swallowed, the food enters the esophagus. The esophagus is a long tube that runs from the mouth to the stomach. It uses rhythmic, wave-like muscle movements (called peristalsis) to force food from the throat into the stomach. This muscle movement gives us the ability to eat or drink even when we're upside-down. In the stomach - The stomach is a large, sack-like organ that churns the...
Words: 1453 - Pages: 6
...Digestive System The digestive process is important in maintaining the lives of living organisms and in providing them with needed energy. Groups of organs, such as the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines, work together to perform this complex task. Digestion is the process of breaking down food from large molecules into small ones to make it easier for absorption. The three major steps involved in the digestive process are ingestion, digestion, and absorption. Ingestion, which occurs in the mouth, is the first step of the digestive process. After food enters the mouth, the teeth chew it. Saliva, which is produced by the salivary glands, plays a major role in breaking down the food into smaller pieces. These small pieces travel to the stomach through the esophagus. In the stomach, the second step of the digestive process begins. When the chewed food reaches the bottom of the esophagus, a valve lets the food enter the stomach. Contraction of the stomach wall mixes the food. Acidic gastric juices, which are secreted by the gastric glands in the stomach, help in mixing the food and in turning it into a partial liquid so it will have the ability to move into the small intestine.In the small intestine, enzymes are secreted, and digestion is completed. The last step in the digestive process is absorption. Absorption takes place in the small intestine. The wall of the small intestine is lined with small, finger like projections called villi. Small molecules...
Words: 338 - Pages: 2
...The Digestive System and Its Activities What happens to food when it is ingested? To understand this process it is important to know how the digestive system works and its components. The digestive system is more than just the stomach and colon, rather it is a system of organs working together to break down food into “nutrient molecules, absorbing these molecules into the bloodstream, and ridding the body of the indigestible remains” (Elaine and Katja 849). The digestive system is composed of the alimentary canal, also known as the gastrointestinal tract, and its accessory digestive organs. The alimentary canal “is a muscular tube lined with epithelium [tissue] and adapted regionally to the various functions of the digestive organs” (Fritsch and Wolfgang 42). It includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. It is in the alimentary canal where food is broken down to smaller fragments and absorbed by the bloodstream. The teeth, tongue in the mouth; and the gallbladder, salivary glands, liver, and pancreas connected by ducts to the GI tract make up the accessory digestive organs. These accessory organs release or store special secretions that aid in digestive and absorptive processes. The mouth is the entryway to the alimentary canal. In depth, the mouth, or oral cavity, is bordered by lips, cheeks, palate, and tongue. When opened anteriorly it is called the oral orifice. The mouth region contains thick stratified squamous epithelium...
Words: 1486 - Pages: 6
...Khalia Roche Professor Wolfson BIOL 111 The Digestive System and Ulcerative Colitis The Digestive System is one of the most important systems of the human body. The purpose of the digestive system is to process all foods that enter through the mouth. The foods and liquids must be processed until small enough to be absorbed and used by the cells of the body (National Institute of Health). According to WebMD, “the digestive tract, also known as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, consists of a long, twisting tube that reaches from the mouth to the anus.” It includes several organs: the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine (National Institute of Health). There are also other major accessory organs included in the digestion process which are: the salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and the pancreas. These organs secrete fluids needed during the digestive process (National Institute of Health). Food undergoes three processes while in the digestive system: Digestion, Absorption, and Elimination. Digestion is an intricate process where the food that is ingested is turned into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth and cell repair (WebMD). There are two types of digestion: mechanical digestion and chemical digestion. Mechanical digestion involves the breakdown of larger food portions and is acted upon by thousands of enzymes. This digestion begins with the mouth and continues in the stomach (National Institute of Health). The second...
Words: 1092 - Pages: 5
...The digestive system is a complex series of organs that process and break down the foods we eat. The 7 major types of the digestive system is the mouth, esophagus, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, rectum (also known as the colon) and the anus. These are the major categories you need to have a proper digestive system. Such as your gallbladder helps your digestive track but it is not an essential you have to have. You can have it removed and still live and digest all the things you eat. The 1st step of the 7 step digestive system is the mouth. The mouth is the beginning process where we chew our food to help break it down to better the digestion process. The saliva we secrete during the chewing process has enzymes that help the breaking down of the food (summins). When we chew we don’t think about the process the food is going for. We always as kids were taught to chew our food so we don’t choke. While this is very true there is more to chewing than just choking. The chewing helps break down the food before the enzymes and other matter can reach the food. Easier to be transformed into waste later on. The 2nd step in the digestive process is the esophagus; the esophagus is a muscular tube connecting the throat with the stomach. The esophagus is about 8 inches long, and is lined by moist pink tissue called mucosa. The esophagus runs behind the trachea (also known as the windpipe) and heart, and in front of the spine. Just before entering the stomach, the esophagus...
Words: 906 - Pages: 4
... * Fruits - monkeys - monkey-eating eagle * Grass - antelope - tiger - vulture * Grass - cow - man * Grass - deer - eagle * Grass - earthworms - bird - snake * Grass - grasshopper - frog - snake - eagle * Grass - prairie dogs - coyotes * Grass - rabbit - snake - owl - hawk * Grass - snail - bird - fox What Is Digestion? Digestion is the complex process of turning the food you eat into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth and cell repair needed to survive. The digestion process also involves creating waste to be eliminated. The digestive tract (or gastrointestinal tract) is a long twisting tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the anus. It is made up of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food and other cells that produce enzymes and hormones to aid in the breakdown of food. Along the way are three other organs that are needed for digestion: the liver, gallbladder, and the pancreas. Food's Journey Through the Digestive System Stop 1: The Mouth The mouth is the beginning of the digestive system, and, in fact, digestion starts here before you even take the first bite of a meal. The smell of food triggers the salivary glands in your mouth to secrete saliva, causing your mouth to water. When you actually...
Words: 1484 - Pages: 6
...The Human Digestive System Human Digestive SCI/241 Nutrition November 22, 2012 Mr. Brain Oddi By: Lenicia Ridley The Human Digestive System Human Digestion 1. How long does it take for food to go through the digestive system? Salivary glands begin the digestive process at the sight and smell of food. After, food enter the mouth and is moistened by, saliva and chewed by the teeth, it transforms into a bolus. Once the bolus leaves the mouth, it moves into the pharynx where it can be swallowed. The bolus then moves from the pharynx into the esophagus, which connects the pharynx to the stomach. Once the bolus reaches the stomach, it is mixed with acid secretions to transform the bolus into chime, a semiliquid food mass. Food is partially digested into the stomach, and chime usually empties from the stomach in 2 to 6 hours. This timeframe is determined by the size and type of meal ingested. 2. How does digestion occur...
Words: 372 - Pages: 2
...The structure and function of the digestive system Your digestive system is made to perform its special function of turning food into the energy you need to survive and packaging the residue for waste disposal. To help you understand how the many parts of the digestive system work together, here is an overview of the structure and function of this challenging system. Mouth The mouth is the beginning of the digestive tract; and, in fact, digestion starts here when taking the first bite of food. Chewing breaks the food into pieces that are more easily digested, while saliva mixes with food to begin the process of breaking it down into a form your body can absorb and use. Esophagus Located in your throat near your trachea (windpipe), the esophagus receives food from your mouth when you swallow. By means of a series of muscular contractions called peristalsis, the esophagus delivers food to your stomach. Stomach The stomach is a hollow organ, or "container," that holds food while it is being mixed with enzymes that continue the process of breaking down food into a usable form. Cells in the lining of the stomach secrete strong acid and powerful enzymes that are responsible for the breakdown process. When the contents of the stomach are sufficiently processed, they are released into the small intestine. Small intestine the small intestine is made up of three segments — the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum — the small intestine is a 22-foot long muscular tube that breaks down...
Words: 1873 - Pages: 8
...Human Digestive System Twila Williams January 7, 2015 SCI/241 Shirlene Small Digestion is movement of breaking down what food you consume in your body through your mouth into molecules so that the body can absorb it. “Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in our diets must be broken down and later, reassembled in forms useful to our body.” (Carter, 2014) We often eat foods that are hard to digest or we have a problem that won’t allow us to digest foods properly. The digestion process is very important for our bodies to provide the necessary nutrients it needs to survive, but is the most complicated process. Before I take you through the process of the human digestive system, let me tell you about some foods that the body will digest easily and those foods that are hard to digest. If your diet consist of being high in fiber and fats then your body will have problems digesting these foods. Though fiber is supposed to be good for the body, it is also hard to digest. The organs and format that consist of the path that food travels through the human digestive system would consist of the mouth, which food enters and comes in contact with your saliva. The salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas, all provide the necessary enzymes from their secretions for the process of the digestive system. When we see and smell food our saliva glands begin the process of the digestive system. After one put food in their mouth the teeth chew the food allowing the food to turn...
Words: 773 - Pages: 4
...energy is called respiration. Carbon dioxide and water, which are formed during respiration, are transferred through various organs of the body. The energy released in respiration fulfils the energy needs of the body. Aerobic Respiration Aerobic respiration is the process that takes place in presence of oxygen. Aerobic respiration break down molecules to get hold of bio-chemical energy and has oxygen. Molecules used by cells in aerobic respiration are glucose, amino acids and fatty acids. Glucose + Oxygen →Energy + Carbon dioxide + Water The aerobic respiration is an energy making process. During the process of aerobic respiration as many as 38 molecules of ATP are produced for every molecule of glucose that is utilized. Aerobic respiration process breaks down a single glucose molecule to yield 38 units of the energy storing ATP molecules. Anaerobic respiration. The term anaerobic means without air, which takes place without oxygen. Anaerobic respiration is the process of oxidation of molecules in the absence of oxygen, which produces energy in the form of adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP). Anaerobic respiration is identical when the glycolysis of energy production is useful in a particular cell. The process of anaerobic respiration for making of energy can occur in either of the ways shown below: Glucose → Energy (ATP) + Ethanol...
Words: 1052 - Pages: 5
...Human Digestive Summary Paula sims August 4, 2012 SCI/241 Misty Milburn The digestive system provides two major functions, digestion and absorption. Foods must be digested in order for their nutrients to be absorbed. Saliva glands begin the digestive process at the sight and smell of food. After food enters the mouth and is moisten by saliva and chewed by the teeth, it transforms into bolus. Once the bolus leaves the mouth, it moves to the pharynx where it can be swallowed. The bolus then moves from the pharynx in to the esophagus, which connects the pharynx to the stomach. Once the bolus reaches the stomach it is mixed with acid secretions to transform the bolus into chime, which is a semiliquid food mass. Food is partially digested in the stomach, and chime empties in two to three hours depending on the size and type of food ingested. The liver, gallbladder, and pancreas all contribute to the digestion process once the chime reaches the small intestine. The large majority of nutrient absorption from food takes place in the small intestine. The small intestine is divided in to three parts, duodenum, jejunum, and the ileum. Secretions of bile from the liver and gallbladder help with the digestion and absorption of fat, while the digestive enzymes and bicarbonate secretions from the pancreas aid in the digestive process. Materials not absorbed in the small intestine enter the large intestine through a sphincter...
Words: 368 - Pages: 2
...tract or digestive tract is considered one of the major organs in the human body. It helps the body digest foods and liquids then break it down into nutrients for the body to absorb. Once the food is place in the mouth, it is the starting of the digestive system. After the teeth breaks the food into smaller pieces mixed with saliva, they travel down the esophagus. The esophagus is the hollow muscular tube where it guides the food to the stomach. It guides the food by contracting its wall wave like muscles. The stomach is where the food gets further breaking down. The stomach heavy muscle walls, as a grinder, mixes the digestive liquid The digestive system. (2013) (produce by the stomach) helps process the food into fluid or paste. After leaving the stomach, the food enters the small intestine. Inside the small intestine, the food gets next stage of breaking down. The small intestine took the enzymes from the pancreas and the bile the liver provided, mixes in the food breaking it down further. The gallbladder also plays a big role in this process. It acts as a transport duct between the liver and the small intestine. At this stage, the small intestine also absorbs the broke down food nutrients into the bloodstream. The waste products leaving the small intestine then travel to the large intestine. The large intestine takes the waste products and the elder cells from the digestive tract lining...
Words: 470 - Pages: 2
...is Lisa back again with another top health news story. Once again I will be taking my mini-sub through the miniaturization process making us only 8 microns long and traveling through the human body. Today we will be swallowed by a 55 year old man, Mr. Smith, who is currently eating a hamburger, French fries, and enjoying a nice cold root beer. Our goal today is to monitor the digestion of Mr. Smith’s meal through the gastrointestinal tract. As we progress through the body, I will be describing all the major structures that we go through as well as describing what happens to the meal as it goes through the digestion process. Let’s get started. We are going to begin our journey by watching how the food is digested via the gastrointestinal pathway and the urinary pathway. Starting with the digestive system, the food will begin to be digested in the mouth where food is acted upon by saliva and enzymes like amylase (WiseGeek, Digestive System, 2012). The brain has a reflex that triggers the flow of saliva into our mouths when we see or even think of food (WiseGeek, Digestive System, 2012). There are three major salivary glands that are involved in this process: the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. These glands function to secrete saliva into our mouths in order to keep it moist, lubricate and bind our food to begin the digestion process, and to maintain oral hygiene (WiseGeek, Salivary Glands, 2012). Our saliva moistens the food while our teeth chew it up and...
Words: 1923 - Pages: 8
...Digestion Summary Kasey Craycraft 2/18/13 SCI/241 Human Digestion Summary The digestive system provides two main functions, absorption and digestion. The main part of the digestive system is the gastrointestinal tract also referred to as the GI tract. This runs all the way from the mouth to the anus, about thirty feet long. The GI tract is made up of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and anus. The transit time is the amount of time it takes for food to pass through the length of the gastrointestinal tract. Transit time normally takes anywhere from twenty-four hours to seventy-two hours. The time it takes is affected by the composition of the diet, physical activity, emotions, medications and illness. Digestion as most know starts in the mouth. Your food is ground up by your teeth and when you are chewing your glands make saliva. Saliva is constantly produced but more is made when we are eating. The saliva softens and moistens the food in our mouth. Enzymes in the saliva help break down food so it is easier to swallow. After the mouth the food then moves through the esophagus to the stomach. By the time the food reaches the stomach it is already made into fat, protein, starch and sugar. The stomach muscles contract and relax about three times a minute. This kind of churns the food mixing it with the powerful digestive juices. This process turns food into a liquid called chime. The chime then moves through the pyloric sphincter...
Words: 464 - Pages: 2
...The Process of Digestion Over the course of time there have been many difficult questions and theories about everyday life. Using physiology & chemistry, those questions have been able to be answered. From the mixture of gases in the air we breathe to the organic substance of plastic or paper, chemistry can be seen everywhere. However, most people mistook the power of chemistry in our own bodies. How is it that a simple slice of bread, once consumed, can turn into fuel for the human body? Using the digestive system and its many organs through the process of digestion and metabolism is how our bodies receive the energy it needs to continue on throughout the day and the rest of our lives. Chemistry then kicks in as food starts its process from entering to leaving the body, through the rate of our metabolism, and also by the transfer of energy. The chemistry in the digestive system is a very important process, because without it there would be no human life. Compared to all other systems in the body, the digestive system is one of the most diverse and important. According to Robert Sullivan the digestive system is a set group of organs whose function is based on the process of turning food, absorbing nutrients for energy and getting rid of the bodies waste (Sullivan, 2008, p.33). The organs that are in the digestive system are the following: esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, colon or large intestine, rectum and anus (Ballard...
Words: 1372 - Pages: 6
