Digestive System Flashcards
Ingestion
which is the intake of food and liquids into the body.
Mastication
Chewing
Digestion
process by which food is broken down into smaller components.
2 types of digestion
Physical and chemical
Physical digestion
breaks food into smaller physical parts
Chemical digestion
breaks food into simpler chemical compounds (nutrients) that can be absorbed by the body
Bile
a yellowish-brown or green-fluid secreted by the liver to break down fatty foods
Absorption
valuable nutrients leave the digestive tract and enter the blood supply
Elimination
solid waste collects in the large intestine and is excreted through the anus
Structures in the oral cavity
the mouth, tongue, teeth, salivary glands, and the pharynx
Labia
or lips, protect the anterior opening of the mouth, and the cheeks, or buccae (BUCK-ee), form the lateral walls of the mouth.
Hard palate
the anterior of the roof of the mouth
Soft palate
posterior of the roof of the mouth
Uvula
a finger like projection of tissue hangs from the soft palate
Tongue
muscular organ attached to the floor of the mouth
Papillae
small, nipple-like bumps that contain taste buds.
Taste receptors
allow us to taste different tastes
2 major parts of a tooth
crown above the gum and root embedded below
Gingiva
the soft tissue that surrounds and supports the teeth
Function of teeth
aid in the mastication process by grinding food
3 salivary glands
sublingual gland, submandibular gland, and the parotid gland
Sublingual gland location
under the tongue
submandibular gland location
on the floor of the mouth
parotid gland location
anterior to the ears
Pharynx location
posterior to the nasal and oral cavities and posterior to the larynx (voice box)
3 parts of the Pharynx
nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharynx
Nasopharynx
functions as the airway of the respiratory system
Oropharynx
passes air from the Nasopharynx to the laryngopharynx, and is passes food from the mouth to the esophagus
laryngopharynx
when swallowing, occurs, the epiglottis covers the trachea so that food cannot enter and become lodged.
Deglutition
swallowing
peristalsis
Food is moved down the pharynx by a propulsive muscular action
Esophagus
the mucous membrane-lined muscular tube that connects the pharynx to the stomach
Cardiac sphincter
At the end of the esophagus ,controls the flow of substances (food and liquid) between the esophagus and the stomach.
stomach
sac-like organ
3 parts of the stomach
the fundus, the body and the antrum
Rugae
produce gastric fluids that aid in digestion and form a protective lining for the stomach
chyme
forms when acidic gastric juices mix with partially digested food in the stomach,
Pylorus
a narrow muscular passageway in the stomach
Pyloric sphincter
a thick ring of muscular tissue.
Small intestine
longest section of the GI system, average 17-20 ft in adults
3 parts of the small intestine
duodenum, jejunum and ileum
Duodenum
first section of small intestine. receives food from the stomach, bile from the liver and gallbladder, and pancreatic juice from the pancreas. digested by pancreatic enzymes and bile.
Jejunum
middle section of the small intestine. nutrients from digested food are absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine.
Ileum
last section of the small intestine. The ileum is the site of vitamin B 12 absorption.
Colon
aka large intestine, connects directly to the ileum an continues to the anus
6 parts of the colon
cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum
cecum
located on the right side of the abdomen, is a pouch that connects to the ileum.
appendix
hangs from the lowest part of the cecum. No known function
ascending colon
travels upward from the cecum to the undersurface of the liver.
transverse colon
longest part of the colon. Located between the ascending colon and the descending colon, the transverse colon horizontally crosses the abdomen.
descending colon
extends from the trans- verse colon inferiorly along the left side of the abdominal cavity to the sigmoid colon.
sigmoid colon
is connected to the distal end of the descending colon and leads into the rectum.
rectum
the last section of the colon, functions as a storage area for solid waste (feces) until defecation can occur.
Anus
opening at the lower end of the digestive tract through which fecal waste is elimi- nated
Liver
storage of nutrients until they are needed by the body and filtration and removal of chemicals, waste products, and old blood cells from the bloodstream, performs the key digestive function of converting a carbohydrate called glycogen to glucose (sugar) when the body’s cells need energy
Gallbladder
bile, a fluid that aids in digestion is stored here
Pancreas
produces amylase, lipase, protease, insulin
Amylase
helps break down carbohydrates
Lipase
helps break down fats
Protease
helps break down proteins
Insulin
a hormone that aids in the absorption of sugar
