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.
Duodenum
The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine. It is located between the stomach and the middle part of the small intestine, or jejunum. After foods mix with stomach acid, they move into the duodenum, where they mix with bile from the gallbladder and digestive juices from the pancreas.
Jejunum
The jejunum is the 2nd of three sections that make up the small intestine. The small intestine is part of the digestive system and is vital for breaking down and absorbing nutrients.
Ileum
ileum, the final and longest segment of the small intestine. It is specifically responsible for the absorption of vitamin B12 and the reabsorption of conjugated bile salts.
Large Intestine
The large intestine is the portion of the digestive system most responsible for absorption of water from the indigestible residue of food. … Material passes through the ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid portions of the colon, and finally into the rectum. From the rectum, the waste is expelled from the body.
Cecum
a pouch connected to the junction of the small and large intestines.
receives undigested food material from the small intestine and is considered the first region of the large intestine.
Colon
The colon is also known as the large bowel or large intestine. It is an organ that is part of the digestive system (also called the digestive tract) in the human body. The digestive system is the group of organs that allow us to eat and to use the food we eat to fuel our bodies.
Rectum
The rectum is the lower part of your large intestine where your body stores stool.
Anus
The anus is the opening of the rectum through which stool passes out of your body.
Bristol Stool Chart
The Bristol stool scale is a diagnostic medical tool designed to classify the form of human faeces into seven categories.
Type 1: Separate hard lumps, like nuts (difficult to pass and can be black)
Type 2: Sausage-shaped, but lumpy
Type 3: Like a sausage but with cracks on its surface (can be black)
Type 4: Like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft (average stool)
Type 5: Soft blobs with clear cut edges
Type 6: Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool (diarrhoea)
Type 7: Watery, no solid pieces, entirely liquid (diarrhoea)
Liver
The liver is an organ about the size of a football. It sits just under your rib cage on the right side of your abdomen. The liver is essential for digesting food and ridding your body of toxic substances.
Gallbladder
The gallbladder is a small pouch that sits just under the liver. The gallbladder stores bile produced by the liver.
Pancreas
The pancreas is an organ located in the abdomen. It plays an essential role in converting the food we eat into fuel for the body’s cells. The pancreas has two main functions: an exocrine function that helps in digestion and an endocrine function that regulates blood sugar.
