The digestive system is the system that breaks down and utilizes all the resources from what we eat. There is a distinct path that food has to take in order for our bodies to utilize the food that we eat. First, we need to eat and chew the food. This is an example of mechanical digestion. Then the food goes to the pharynx, and down the esophagus. Next, it reaches the stomach, where the food is chemically digested with enzymes. The nutrients are removed and absorbed as well. After that, the food goes into the small intestine. Now the food is just chime, or a soupy mixture from the stomach. Here, the chime is mixed with fluids from the pancreas and the liver. Then, the food is pushed into the large intestine, where it is compacted and eliminated from your body. The last two stops are the rectum and the anus, where waste is stored and excreted.
There are also many other organs involved in the digestive system that food doesn't travel through. For example, the gallbladder is where bile is stored. When it needs to, it releases bile into the digestive system. Also, the salivary glands help the esophagus get food to the stomach by making the food slippery. Finally, there is the pancreas, that helps regulate our blood sugar levels. The digestive system interacts with many other systems. First, the circulatory system, because the nutrients are absorbed into our bloodstream. Also, the nervous system is involuntarily telling us to digest food. Third, it interacts with the muscular system because certain organs, such as the stomach, in the digestive system are muscles. |
The digestive system takes food in, and excretes it out. This video illustrates that.
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