OUR

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

ENOY, LLERIN, MONTES, SALASALAN

 OBJECTIVES:
To be able to answer the following:
• why is digestion important?
• what is digestive system?
• what are the processes that takes place in
digestion?
• what are the different digestive organs and its
functions?
• how does our digestive system work?
• what happens to the digested food?
• how does our body control the digestive process?
Importance of Digestion

Digestion is important for breaking down food into

nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth, and cell
repair. Food and drink must be changed into smaller molecules
of nutrients before the blood absorbs them and carries them to
cells throughout the body. The body breaks down nutrients
from food and drink into carbohydrates, protein, fats, and
vitamins.
 Digestive system is a group of organs working together to convert
food into energy and basic nutrients to feed the entire body.
The Digestive System is made up of the GASTROINTESTINAL
TRACT—also called as the digestive tract or GI tract, where the food passes
through.
The human digestive tract is a long, coiled, muscular tube that
stretches from the mouth to the anus that is about nine meters long.

tem
 To achieve the goal of providing energy and
nutrients to the body, six major processes that
take place in the digestive system:
• Ingestion
• Secretion
• Mixing and movement
• Digestion
• Absorption
• Excretion

SES.
1. Ingestion
• The first function of the digestive system is ingestion, or the intake of food.
• process of eating.
• Start in the mouth were most mechanical phase of the digestion happen.

2. Secretion
The digestive system secretes around 7 liters of fluids. These fluids include
saliva, mucus, hydrochloric acid, enzymes and bile. These fluids are responsible to
the digestion of food to begin.

3. Mixing and Movement

The digestive system uses 3 main processes to move and mix food.
• Swallowing
• Peristalsis
• Segmentation
3 main processes to move and mix food
Swallowing- is the process of using smooth and skeletal
muscles in the mouth, tongue and pharynx to push food out of the
mouth, through the pharynx and into the esophagus.

Peristalsis- Peristalsis is an involuntary process of muscular

contraction forcing the bolus (food) down to the stomach. Involves
rhythmic contractions of the longitudinal muscles in the
gastrointestinal tract.

Segmentation- only happens in small intestine, it

helps to increase the absorption of nutrients by mixing food and
increasing its contact with the walls of the intestine. Involves
contractions of the circular muscles.
PERISTALSIS AND SEGMENTATION
4. Digestion
• Is the process of turning large pieces of food into its component chemicals.

2PHASES OF DIGESTION
MECHANICAL PHASE
involves the breaking up of food into small pieces, pushing
the food down the food tube, and mixing with it digestive juices
Begins with the chewing of food by the teeth and is continued
through the muscular mixing of food by the stomach and the
intestine.

CHEMICAL PHASE
involves the further breaking up of the larger molecules of
food into smaller molecules by the action of digestive enzymes
Mechanical Phase

Mechanical digestion starts in the mouth

(Mastication) where four kinds of teeth tear the food
into pieces.

Four kinds of teeth:

1. INCISORS – thin-edged for cutting food
2. CANINES – are pointed used for tearing
3. MOLARS & PREMOLARS – specialized for crushing
and grinding
Chemical Phase
Chemical Digestion begins in the mouth with salivary amylase
in saliva splitting complex carbohydrates into simple carbohydrates.
The enzymes and acid in the stomach continue chemical
digestion, but the bulk of chemical digestion takes place in the small
intestine thanks to the action of the pancreas.
Our mouth has salivary glands that secrete saliva. This saliva
contains the enzyme called salivary amylase. This salivary amylase and
the enzyme called maltase enables the chemical digestion of the
mouth to occur.
 5. Absorption
Once food has been reduced to its building blocks, it is ready for the
body to absorb. Absorption occurs in the small intestine with simple
molecules like water and alcohol being absorbed directly into the
bloodstream.

6. Excretion
The final function of the digestive system is the excretion of
waste in a process known as defecation. Defecation removes
indigestible substances from the body so that they do not accumulate
inside the gut.
 Main Parts Accessory Parts
PARTS OF HUMAN Mouth
Pharynx
Salivary Gland
Liver
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM Esophagus Pancreas
Stomach Gallbladder
(Main and Accessory Parts) Small Intestine
Large Intestine
MAJOR ORGANS
Mouth
• is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and produces saliva.

2 Major Processes that takes place:

Mastication (Chewing)
• Breaks down large food molecules
Secretion of Saliva
• Contains salivary amylase (ptyalin) that digests starch to maltose.
• Provides an alkaline medium.
• Lubricants and moistens food.
Pharynx
• Serves as a passageway for air and food
• Food is propelled to the esophagus by two muscle layers •Longitudinal inner layer
•Circular outer layer
• Food movement is by alternating contractions of the muscle layers (peristalsis)

Pharynx Anatomy
 Nasopharynx – not part of the digestive
system
 Oropharynx – posterior to oral cavity
 Laryngopharynx – below the oropharynx
and connected to the esophagus
Esophagus
• It is a mucus muscular membrane lined tube.
• There occurs a process known as Peristalsis
• Delivers food to the stomach.
• Runs from pharynx to stomach through the
diaphragm
• Passageway for food only

Stomach
• Is a sac-like organ with strong muscular
walls.
• In addition to holding the food it is also a
mixer and grinder.
• Has three regions: fundus, body and the
pylorus.
Stomach

ENZYMATIC DIGESTION IN THE STOMACH

The stomach secretes millions of gastric glands.

1. THE PARIETAL CELLS in the gastric glands secrete hydrochloric acid

and intrinsic factor, a substance needed for adequate absorption of
vitamin B12.
2. THE CHIEF CELLS secrete pepsinogen (an inactive enzyme
precursor). When pepsinogen comes in contact with the acidic
gastric juice, it becomes pepsin (the main digestive enzyme of the
stomach).
Small Intestine
• The small intestine, which is about 20 feet
long.
• The small intestine finishes the process of
digestion, absorbs the nutrients, and passes
the residue on to the large intestine.
• The small intestine has three regions, called
the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum.
Duodenum- begins at the pyloric sphincter. Absorption of food also begins with the absorption of vitamins,
minerals and other nutrients.
Jejenum- runs from the duodenum to the ileum. Jejunum means “empty” in Latin. There are small fingerlike
projections in the wall of the jejunum called villi. The villi increase the surface area of the jejunum and allows
much more absorption of nutrients in this part of the small intestine—most of the food absorption is done in
this part of the digestive tract.
Ileum- The last absorption of nutrients from the food takes place here. The unabsorbed and undigested food
then passes from the ileum into the cecum, the beginning of the large intestine.
Large intestine
• The large intestine forms the last part of the digestive tract.
• The large intestine can be divided into the cecum, colon,
rectum and anus.
--------------------------------
Cecum- a pouch or large tubelike structure in the lower abdominal cavity
that receives undigested food material from the small intestine and is
considered the first region of the large intestine.
---------------------------------
Colon- the longest segment of the large intestine. The purpose of the colon is
to lubricate waste products, absorb remaining fluids and salts, and store waste products until they are
ready to be passed from the body.
--------------------------------
Rectum- terminal segment of the digestive system in which feces accumulate just prior to discharge.
Food wastes remain in the sigmoid colon until they are ready to be excreted from the body.
--------------------------------
Anus- terminal opening of the anal canal, the portion of the digestive tract through which fecal
material is excreted.
ACCESSORY ORGANS
Salivary Glands
• The salivary glands are located near the mouth.
• They produce and secrete saliva that is important to lubricate
your mouth, helps with chewing and swallowing by moistening
the food

3Major Pairs:
• Parotid Glands on the insides of the cheeks

• submandibular glands at the floor of the mouth

• sublingual glands under the tongue

Liver
• Largest organ in the mammalian body
• Makes and secretes a digestive juice called the “bile” that helps digest fats and
some vitamins.
Bile breaks down fats into tiny droplets through emulsification.
• Process the nutrients absorbed from the small intestine.
Roles :
Regulates sugar/glucose
Breaks down excess RBC Emulsification is not digestion per se, but is of
Storage of blood importance because it greatly increases the
Detoxification surface area of fat, making it available for
digestion by lipases, which cannot access the
Generation of heat inside of lipid droplets.
Emulsification is the process by which the
dispersed phase is broken up into small droplets.
Pancreas
• Makes a digestive juice that break down carbohydrates, fats and
proteins.

• It is an endocrine gland because it secretes nsulin hormone - converts

excess glucose into glycogen for storage.

• It is also an exocrine gland because it secretes pancreatic juice in the

duodenum-pancreatic juice contains lipase , trypsin and pancreatic
amylase for digestion of lipids ,proteins and starch .

Endocrine glands release chemical substances directly into the bloodstream or

tissues of the body. The chemical substances released by the endocrine glands are
known as hormones.
Exocrine glands release chemical substances through ducts to outside the body or
onto another surface within the body, exocrine glands include sweat, salivary,
mammary.
Gallbladder
• The gallbladder is a pear-shaped sac that is attached to the visceral
surface of the liver by the cystic duct.
• The principal function of the gallbladder is to serve as a storage
reservoir for bile.
Bile is a yellowish-green fluid produced by liver cells. The main
components of bile are water, bile salts, bile pigments, and cholesterol.
• Bile salts act as emulsifying agents in the digestion and absorption of
fats. Cholesterol and bile pigments from the breakdown of
hemoglobin are excreted from the body in the bile.
HOW OUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM WORKS?
How our digestive system works?

Food processing begins in the mouth

Then, the food is mechanically and enzymatically digested in the

stomach

The bite food is then swallowed and is moved through the pharynx into
the esophagus

The liver secretes bile

 The pancreas secretes digestive enzymes

Most enzymatic digestion takes place in the small intestine

Nutrients are then digested as they move the digestive tract

Nerves and hormones regulate digestion

Absorption takes place mainly through the villi of the small intestine

The large intestine then eliminates wastes leading to the opening for the
elimination of wastes called anus.
What
.
happens to the digested food?
Special cells help absorbed nutrients cross the intestinal lining into
your bloodstream. The blood carries simple sugars, amino acids,
glycerol, and some vitamins and salts to the liver. The liver stores,
processes, and delivers nutrients to the rest of your body when
needed.

The lymph system , a network of vessels that carry white blood cells
and a fluid called lymph throughout your body to fight infection,
absorbs fatty acids and vitamins.
How
.
does our body control the digestive process?

Your hormones and nerves work together to help control the

digestive process.

Hormones
Cells lining your stomach and small intestine make and release
hormones that control how your digestive system works.

Nerves
You have nerves that connect your central nervous system—your
brain and spinal cord—to your digestive system and control some
digestive functions. You also have an enteric nervous system (ENS)—
nerves within the walls of your GI tract.
Common
.
Digestive Problem/Diseases
Gallstones
Gallstones are hard deposits that form in your gallbladder — a
small, pear-shaped sack that stores and secretes bile for digestion.

Celiac disease
is a serious sensitivity to gluten, which is a protein found in
wheat, rye, and barley. Eat gluten, and your immune system goes on
the attack: It damages your villi, the finger-like protrusions in your
small intestines that help you absorb nutrients from the foods you eat.

Crohn’s disease
is part of a group of digestive conditions called inflammatory
bowel disease (IBD). Crohn’s most commonly affects the terminal
ileum, which connects the end of the small bowel and the beginning
of the colon, but it can affect any part of the digestive tract.
Common
.
Digestive Problem/Diseases
Ulcerative colitis
is another inflammatory bowel disease. The symptoms of
ulcerative colitis are very similar to those of Crohn's, but the part of the
digestive tract affected is solely the large intestine, also known as the
colon.

Hemorrhoids
are an inflammation of the blood vessels at the end of your
digestive tract. They can be painful and itchy. Causes include chronic
constipation, diarrhea, straining during bowel movements, and a lack
of fiber in your diet. Bright red blood in the toilet bowl when you move
your bowels.
Common
.
Digestive Problem/Diseases
Diarrhea
This happens when chyme passes too rapidly (defecation). This
may be caused by anxiety, certain foods, or disease organisms that
irritate the intestinal lining.
Constipation
This is the result of the too slowly passing of chyme through the
intestine.
Colorectal Cancer
This is commonly known as the cancer of the colon and rectum.
Thank you for Listening 
-ENOY,LLERIN, MONTES, SALASALAN