Question

Explain the process of digestive system?
​

Answer 1

In short explanation:

The Human Digestive System

The digestive system of the human body comprises a group of organs working together to convert food into energy for the body. Anatomically, the digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal tract, along with accessory organs such as the liver, pancreas and gallbladder. The hollow organs that make up the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) include the mouth, stomach, oesophagus, small intestine and large intestine that contains the rectum and anus.

Human Digestive System and Nutrition involve the intake of food by an organism and its utilization for energy. This is a vital process which helps living beings to obtain their energy from various sources. The food which we eat undergoes much processing before the nutrients present in them are utilized to generate energy. This processing is known as digestion. Humans and other animals have specialized organs and systems for this process.

The digestion process involves the alimentary canal along with various accessory organs and organ systems. In humans, the process is quite simple due to our monogastric nature. This means that we have a one-chambered stomach, unlike other animals such as cows, which have four chambers.

Some parts of nervous and circulatory systems also play a significant role in the digestion process. A combination of nerves, bacteria, hormones, blood and other organs of the digestive system completes the task of digestion.

Let us have a detailed look at the human digestive system, its parts and functions. Also provided at the end of the chapter are digestive system notes.

Answer 2

The process of the Digestive system:

• Mouth: This process of the digestive system happens in the mouth. The mouth chews the food thoroughly and uses salvia to break down the food. Teeth present inside the mouth helps in the grinding of the food particles. Saliva is a digestive enzyme that breaks down the chewed food into starch (carbohydrates).

• Pharynx:  A  y-shaped tube fibromuscular called Pharynx is attached to the end of the mouth. It is mainly involved in the passage of gnawed food from the mouth through the Esophagus.  

• Esophagus:  This is a muscular tube that links the pharynx, which is a part of the upper section of the gastrointestinal tract. It supplies consumed food down its length to the stomach.

• Stomach: Situated towards the left side of the abdominal cavity, beneath the diaphragm, the stomach is a muscular bag. This crucial organ acts as a repository for food and provides adequate time to digest meals. Digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid that maintains the process of digestion are produced in the stomach.

1. Mucous: It is an aqueous secretion created by the mucous membranes. It functions by shielding the stomach lining and gastric pits from the acid, which is produced to kill bacteria intaken along with the food.
2. Digestive enzymes: They are the cluster of enzymes that perform activities like breaking down polymeric macromolecules like biopolymers into their smaller and simpler substances. These simpler substances can be easily intaken by the body.
3. Hydrochloric acid: It is the digestive fluid formed by the stomach during the process of digestion. It is highly acidic and can cause serious damage to the stomach if food is not taken on time. It functions by eliminating dangerous microorganisms present in the food particles.

• Small Intestine: The small intestine is a thin, elongated tube about 10 feet long and a part of the more inferior part of the gastrointestinal tract. It is present just behind the stomach and occupies most areas of the abdominal cavity. It is a coiled structure whose inner surface is filled with ridges and curves.

• Large Intestine: This is a thick, long tube measuring around 5 feet in length. It is present just below the stomach and wraps over the superior and sidewards edges of the small intestine. It absorbs water from the food and consists of symbiotic bacteria that support the breakdown of wastes to fetch small nutrients. It has a small protruding structure called villi that help in absorbing all the essential nutrients from the passed-over food.

•  Rectum: Annihilated products are passed into the end of the large intestine called the rectum, where they are collected and eradicated out of the body during regular intervals as a solid matter called stool. It is stowed in the rectum as semi-solid feces which later exits from the body through the anus through the process of defecation. This is crucial as the body needs to eliminate all the feces properly for cleansing the body and keep a  person healthy.