What is Human Digestive System?
In the previous section, we learned that food taken in through the mouth is ground mechanically with teeth and mixed with saliva, and passed to the stomach through the esophagus.
The food is then mixed with other digestive enzymes and on completion of the digestive process; the food is next passed on to the small intestine.
What is the small intestine?
The small intestine is thin, 7.5 meters long, and is coiled, and sits within the large intestine. The liver and pancreas found below the stomach develop their own digestive juices and pour them into the small intestine. The liver is a brown gland located on the right side of the abdomen region. The liver is the largest gland in our body and produces a yellow-colored digestive fluid called bile. The bile is stored in a sac called the gallbladder. Bile salts help in the digestion of fats present in food. The liver also plays a significant role in the detoxification of food products. The pancreas is a long, cream-colored organ that consists of specialized cells producing insulin and glucagon to break down the carbohydrates and proteins present in food.
The bile is stored in a sac called the gallbladder. Bile salts help in the digestion of fats present in food. The liver also plays a significant role in the detoxification of food products. The pancreas is a long, cream-colored organ that consists of specialized cells producing insulin and glucagon to break down the carbohydrates and proteins present in food.
The partly digested food from the stomach that enters into the small intestine gets completely digested with the help of digestive enzymes and breaks down the carbohydrates and other starch products into glucose, fats into fatty acids, and glycerol and proteins into simpler amino acids.
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These simpler substances can be easily used in the energy-making processes of our bodies. These simpler substances are absorbed by the blood vessels present on the wall of the small intestine and circulated in the blood, thus transporting it to different organs of the body. Moreover, the walls of the intestine consist of many finger-like structures called villi (singular – villus). Each villus has its network of blood vessels around them, which help in transporting the nutrients. These villi are responsible for increasing the surface area of the intestine, so as to increase the rate of absorption.
The nutrients transported to other organs of the body assimilate these nutrients and produce other complex proteins, carbohydrates, and fats required for the maintenance of the body. This process is called assimilation.
What is the large intestine?
The large intestine is wider and 1.5 meters long. The main function of the large intestine is to extract water and salts from the remaining waste and pass it on the wastes to the rectum and then to the anus, from where it is excreted out of the body. This excretion process is also called egestion.
Summary
Thus, we have learned that the food we eat is broken down into simpler substances and transported to various organs of the body so as to utilize it in different manners, such as producing energy and producing different proteins required for the growth and repair of the body.