Digestive System Flashcards
Functions of Digestive System
Mechanical and chemical breakdown of food and the absorption of nutrients
Excretion of waste
Mouth
begins digestion by chewing and mixing with saliva
Two types of bowel movements
Mixing Movements:
mix food with digestive juices
Propelling Movements:
called peristalsis; pushes food down the tube
Tongue
moves food, connects to floor of mouth via frenulum
Amylase
enzyme breaks down starch into sugars
Esophagus
The muscular tube that carries food and liquids from your mouth to the stomach.
Four regions of the stomach
the cardia, fundus, body, and pylorus.
Pyloric canal
the pyloric canal, which connects to the duodenum.
Pyloric sphincter
The smooth muscle pyloric sphincter is located at this latter point of connection and controls stomach emptying
Stomach lining
Mucus prevents stomach from digesting itself, small openings called gastric pits contain glands
Glands secrete gastric juices to breakdown food
Pepsin
most important digestive enzyme for breaking down food
Mechanical Digestion
- Food being broken down in smaller pieces (ex: chewing and churning of the stomach)
Chemical Digestion
ubstances in our digestive organs are released that change food particles into particles that are chemically different (ex: acids and bases)
Chyme
the semi-fluid mass of partly digested food that is expelled by a person’s stomach, through the pyloric valve, into the duodenum.
Small Intestine
which is the primary digestive organ in the body. Not only is this where most digestion occurs, it is also where practically all absorption occurs.
