System which processes food

An adult's digestive tract is about 30 feet about 9 meters long. Digestion begins in the mouth, well before food reaches the stomach. When we see, smell, taste, or even imagine a tasty meal, our salivary glands in front of the ear, under the tongue, and near the lower jaw begin making saliva spit.

As the teeth tear and chop the food, spit moistens it for easy swallowing. A digestive enzyme in saliva called amylase pronounced: AH-meh-lace starts to break down some of the carbohydrates starches and sugars in the food even before it leaves the mouth. Swallowing, done by muscle movements in the tongue and mouth, moves the food into the throat, or pharynx pronounced: FAIR-inks. The pharynx is a passageway for food and air. A soft flap of tissue called the epiglottis pronounced: ep-ih-GLAH-tus closes over the windpipe when we swallow to prevent choking.

From the throat, food travels down a muscular tube in the chest called the esophagus pronounced: ih-SAH-fuh-gus. Waves of muscle contractions called peristalsis pronounced: per-uh-STALL-sus force food down through the esophagus to the stomach.

A person normally isn't aware of the movements of the esophagus, stomach, and intestine that take place as food passes through the digestive tract. At the end of the esophagus, a muscular ring or valve called a sphincter pronounced: SFINK-ter allows food to enter the stomach and then squeezes shut to keep food or fluid from flowing back up into the esophagus.

The stomach muscles churn and mix the food with digestive juices that have acids and enzymes, breaking it into much smaller, digestible pieces.

An acidic environment is needed for the digestion that takes place in the stomach. By the time food is ready to leave the stomach, it has been processed into a thick liquid called chyme pronounced: kime. A walnut-sized muscular valve at the outlet of the stomach called the pylorus pronounced: pie-LOR-us keeps chyme in the stomach until it reaches the right consistency to pass into the small intestine.

Chyme is then squirted down into the small intestine, where digestion of food continues so the body can absorb the nutrients into the bloodstream. The inner wall of the small intestine is covered with millions of microscopic, finger-like projections called villi pronounced: VIH-lie. Insulin helps to regulate the amount of sugar in the blood.

Diabetes is a condition caused by problems with insulin production. Once all the nutrients have been absorbed, the waste is moved into the large intestine, or bowel. Water is removed and the waste faeces is stored in the rectum. It can then be passed out of the body through the anus. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. The type of pain felt in the abdomen can vary greatly. Children may feel stomach pain for a range of reasons and may need treatment.

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Summary Read the full fact sheet. The digestive system includes the digestive tract and its accessory organs, which process food into molecules that can be absorbed and utilized by the cells of the body. Food is broken down, bit by bit, until the molecules are small enough to be absorbed and the waste products are eliminated. The digestive tract, also called the alimentary canal or gastrointestinal GI tract , consists of a long continuous tube that extends from the mouth to the anus.

It includes the mouth, pharynx , esophagus , stomach , small intestine , and large intestine. The tongue and teeth are accessory structures located in the mouth. The salivary glands, liver , gallbladder , and pancreas are major accessory organs that have a role in digestion. These organs secrete fluids into the digestive tract. Digestion and absorption occur in the digestive tract. After the nutrients are absorbed, they are available to all cells in the body and are utilized by the body cells in metabolism.