Digestive System Flashcards
Functions of Digestive System
Mechanical and chemical breakdown of food and the absorption of nutrients
Excretion of waste
Two types of bowel movements
Mixing Movements:
mix food with digestive juices
Propelling Movements:
called peristalsis; pushes food down the tube
Mouth
begins digestion by chewing and mixing with saliva
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 narrower end is called 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
Pepsin
most important digestive enzyme for breaking down food
Mechanical digestion
Mechanical digestion involves physically breaking down food substances into smaller particles to more efficiently undergo chemical digestion.
Chemical digestion
The role of chemical digestion is to further degrade the molecular structure of the ingested compounds by digestive enzymes into a form that is absorbable into the bloodstream
Chyme
the pulpy acidic fluid which passes from the stomach to the small intestine, consisting of gastric juices and partly digested food.
Small intestine
the long, continuous pathway that food travels through your digestive system. In the small intestine, food is broken down into liquid and most of its nutrients are absorbed. The waste is passed on to the large intestine.