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.
Duodenum
duodenum, which begins at the pyloric sphincter. Just past the pyloric sphincter,
Jejunum
about 0.9 meters (3 feet) long (in life) and runs from the duodenum to the ileum.
Ileum
about 0.9 meters (3 feet) long (in life) and runs from the duodenum to the ileum.
Large Intestine
subdivided into four main regions: the cecum, the colon, the rectum, and the anus.
Cecum
start of large intestine, has an attached appendix
Colon
Ascending
Transverse
Descending
Sigmoid
Rectum
stores waste before it is expelled from the body
Anus
muscular sphincter which controls the exit of waste
Function of Large Intestine
Water Reabsorption
Bristol Stool Chart
Diagnostic medical tool designed to classify the form of human feces into seven categories.
Liver
e largest gland in the body, weighing about three pounds in an adult.
Gallbladder
stores and concentrates bile, releasing it when it is needed by the small intestine
Pancreas
responsible for secretion of digestive enzymes and bicarbonate
