Structure And Functions Of The Digestive System

The digestive system absorbs the minerals and nutrients from the foods that have been eaten. The break down of food beings in the mouth, where the

The alimentary canal is where the digestive system takes place; it has different components in order for food to be thoroughly processed. The digestive system is composed of an enteric nervous system and has four layers of tissues; the mucosa, submucosa, muscularis externa, and serosa. Food enters through the mouth and passes through the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and the large intestine before exiting the body through the anal canal. This occurs within the digestive system in four main steps; ingestion, where food enters through the mouth, digestion where food is broken down physically and chemically, absorption where nutrients are taken to their desired organ for use in the body, and elimination where waste is removed from the body due to being useless or toxic.When it comes to the human body there are plenty of components that we take for granted. Think about it, when was the last time you dwelled upon the function of your saliva or pondered on the responsibility of the esophagus? If you are like me, the answer to the question is simple, never. It is because our body is one of the greatest and yet most underappreciated machinery known to man. Within that system, which tends to get a lack of appreciation, stands alone one main process that we utilize on a daily basis and rarely give credence to its importance. This process is known as digestion, which occurs in the alimentary canal also known as the digestive system. The digestive system consists of the

Involuntary pharyngeal: stage begins as the bolus passes into the oropharynx - receptors send impulses to the deglutition center in the medulla and pons. Returning impulses cause the soft palate to move superiorly and posteriorly to close the nasopharynx. The epiglottis moves slightly inferiorly to close the glottis.

Consist of the nasal passage, pharynx, esophagus, larynx, trachea, lungs, diaphragm, bronchi, and pulmonary artery and vein.

I chose the oral cavity to describe for this discussion board. The oral cavity ingests, chews, and swallows the food so that it may enter our bodies. The oral cavity is the place where digestion begins. Before it goes anywhere in the body it has to enter our mouths first so that it may be mechanically broken down with the help of our teeth and saliva. Saliva contains digestive enzymes that help break down the food particles so that it's easier for us to swallow. Hanging at the back of the throat is the uvula which is there to serve for more than one purpose. The first purpose being it has a role in speech production, and the second one being the gag reflex. The reflex is stimulated when food enters the throat without swallowing. This prevents

This is made up of two layers which covers the alimentary canal and holding them into position.

The major stages of the digestive system are ingestion, digestion, absorption, and elimination. Ingestion is the process of taking in food and water into the form of swallowing, and digestions is when the food that was consumed begins to breakdown into smaller pieces so it’s easy to be absorbed into the body. Digestion can happen with two phases, when the food is breakdown by teeth and the second phase which is the chemical breakdown, which is the breakdown of food by enzymes. The next stage of the digestive system is absorption, which absorbs the food of the digestions. The nutrients such as amino acids and simple sugars travel in the blood when then goes to the body cells, that can be broken down more or used to build a cell’s large molecule.

The digestive system is one of the most important systems in our body because it takes the nutrients out of food we eat and gives us energy to power our body.

The structure of the digestive system consists of organs that help break down food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate wastes. Organs that contribute to the breakdown of food include the mouth, esophagus, and stomach as well as the pancreas and gallbladder. Nutrients are absorbed through the small intestine, and remaining waste is eliminated through the large intestine and

Food begins the journal through the mouth. Inside the mouth the saliva, teeth and tongue aid in the digestion of the food by chopping the food into small pieces which are then moisturised by the saliva to help the tongue and other muscle push the food into the pharynx ( throat)

The pharynx is the superior dilated part of the alimentary tract that connects the nasal and oral cavities to the oesophagus. It is composed of nasopharynx, oropharynx and laryngopharynx. The nasopharynx is situated posterior to the nasal choanae, superior to the soft palate and communicates with the nasal cavity anteriorly. The oropharynx starts posterior to the base of tongue and inferior to the soft palate. It is bounded laterally by the palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal arches, and communicates with the oral cavity anteriorly. The laryngopharynx (or hypopharynx) extends from inferior to the superior border of the epiglottis and the pharyngoepiglottic folds to the superior border of the cartilage. The hypopharynx communicates with the larynx anteriorly. There are two groups of muscles in the wall of the pharynx, the external circular layer and the internal longitudinal layer. The external circular layer is composed of the superior, middle and inferior pharyngeal constrictors. The internal

The pharynx is a muscular funnel located behind the nose and mouth, which connects them to the oesophagus. The pharynx is split into 3 sections: the nasopharynx, oropharynx and laryngopharynx. The nasopharynx is the part of the throat that connects to the nose. It enables a person to breathe through their nasal cavity. The oropharynx is the middle section of the pharynx. The laryngopharynx is where food and air passes through. The rear of the laryngopharynx becomes part of the oesophagus. It then continues down to the digestive tract. Here is the epiglottis. The epiglottis is a piece of cartilage that prevents anything from entering the trachea. It helps to direct food down the oesophagus.

The respiratory system is divided into two main parts, the upper respiratory and lower respiratory tract. The upper respiratory tract consists of the nasal cavity which is a hollow space behind the nose, it is lined with mucous membrane and small hairs, which traps smaller particles entering with the air, the nasal cavities main purpose is to heat, humidify and filter the air before it passes into the lungs (Whittemore and Cooley, 2009 ). The sinuses are hollow areas in the bones of the skull and are lined with a mucous membrane that open into the nasal cavity, they help to keep the skull light. The pharynx is around 12.5 cm long and joins the posterior oral and nasal cavities to the larynx and oesophagus. It is a member of both the respiratory system and the digestive system as it allows food and air to pass through it, the food and air are both directed through their own passage ways which is controlled by the epiglottis, which is a flap of elastic tissue that acts like a lid to cover the trachea in order to avoid substances from entering the larynx (Callentine, 2015). The larynx is located at the upper part of the air passage the walls of the larynx are made up of muscle and cartilage, it contains the vocal cords, sound is produced by air passing through the larynx on the way to the lungs and connects the pharynx to the trachea (Wilkins and King, 2002). All of these organs which are situated in the respiratory system are located outside of the chest cavity.

The pharynx (throat) is a mucosa-lined, muscular tube with three regions nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharynx.

The sublingual gland is the smallest of the three salivary glands. When food enters the mouth and you chew, saliva is sent there to help the process of breaking down food. When you begin to swallow, a bolus is moved to the back of the oral cavity to make way for the trachea so food can enter the esophagus. Every time you swallow food, a part called the epiglottis, blocks any access to the trachea and provides a path for a bolus to the esophagus. There is a part of the body called the gastroesophageal sphincter. It is located at the meeting point of the esophagus and stomach. After a bolus has reached the gastroesophageal sphincter, your muscular fibers start to relax, and this creates the pathway to the stomach. Now that the food is entering the stomach, peristalsis waves help break down food and turn the food you are trying to digest into a liquid called chyme. While the chyme passes through the stomach, it begins to enter the small intestine. The small intestine is a tube that is about 6 meters or 20 feet long. This intestine is lined with three muscle layers, serous, muscular, and mucosa, that help augment the surface area for absorption. The body earns its nutrients from the food that is being digested as the chyme goes through the small intestine. Nutrient absorption can also happen in the large intestine. Most of the residue will be solidified in the large intestine. As the rest of the food becomes solid, it travels down to the