Digestive System - An Overview: How We Survive

Digestive system - An overview
How we survive.
Topics covered
• Digestion
• Nutrients(macro and micronutrients)
• Why living organisms need Digestion
• Digstive System
• GI - tract
• Mouth
• Esophagus
• Stomach
• Small intestine - Jejunum, Ileum and Deodunum
Topics covered
• Colon (large intestine)

• Supporting organs I.e,
• Liver
• Pancreas
• Lymphatic system
Digestion
• Digestion is the complex process of turning the food you eat into nutrients,
which the body uses for energy, growth and cell repair needed to survive. The
digestion process also involves creating waste to be eliminated ( WebMD,The
digestive system diagram, organs, function, and more 2021)
• but waste doesnt nessasarily mean that the food has given all of its nutrients
rather means that we are not capable to further utilize its contents due to lack
of digestion mechanisms.
• the whole complex of mechanical and chemical digestion occurs in the GI
tract.
• The GI tract is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from
the mouth to the anus. The hollow organs that make up the GI tract are the
mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus
Types of Digestion
• Mechanical - any act of disintegrating the whole food we

eat is essentially characterized as digestion, in this case
physically tearing action of the teeth and toung, peristalsis
and many more(will be discussed briefly)
• chemical - is carried out through secretions i.e. enzymes
throughout your digestive tract. These enzymes break the
chemical bonds that hold food particles together. This
allows food to be broken down into small, digestible parts.
Food
• Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or

drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and
growth:
• we cant just simply absorb nutrients directly like plant’s do
just because our nature doesnt allow us to. therefore, we
wait for the raw nutrients to pass in between trophic
levels, consume, disintegrate all over again and build our
own molecules from scratch.
Nutrients
• there are 6 main groups of nutrients

• Carbohydrate
• Protien
• Lipids
• Water
• Minerals
• Vatamins
Nutrients
• Other than water all other compounds that every living

being needs for functioning is basically derived from
carbon molecules.
• Carbon is by far the most impressive element when
considering its ability to make different kinds of bonds and
polymerizations with its self and with basically any other
element or compound
• One of the most amazing properties of carbon is its ability
to make long carbon chains and rings. This property of
carbon is known as catenation.
Enzymes
• are proteins that help speed up metabolism, or the

chemical reactions in our bodies. They build some
substances and break others down. All living things have
enzymes. Our bodies naturally produce enzymes.
• These Enzymes help chemically Break the bonds that

hold food particles together (polymers to monomer units)
Enzymes
• Inthe GI tract and digestion supporting organs numerous

enzymes are produced these organs and/or glands
include
• salivary glands
• liver
• pancreas
• stomach
• small intestine... (The detail enzymes will be discussed)
Carbon
• More than one million carbon based bio-chemical

molecules have been discovered so far.
• when we ingest food we ingest many molecules
altogether if not broken down cannot even to pass to our
blood stream, even if they did they may be recognized as
forign objests.
• example - Egg alergy
Egg allergy
Egg allergy
• Egg allergy develops when the body’s immune system

becomes sensitized and overreacts to proteins in egg
whites and/or yolks. When eggs are eaten, the body sees
the protein as a foreign invader and sends out chemicals
to defend against it, thats what causes the allegy
• the silver lining in here is that even when digested some
protiens can be seen to our body as foriener cells imagine
putting an undigested meat or for that matter a leaf into
your blood stream, its simply fatal.
Digestive system
Digestive system
• The food you eat takes an incredible journey through your

body, from top (your mouth) to bottom (your anus). Along
the way the beneficial parts of your food are absorbed,
giving you energy and nutrients.
• The GI tract which extends a great deal in the human
body consists of
• mouth
• esophagus stomach, small intestine, large intestine
• Consists of alimentary canal, associated glands and
regions of absorption of food
Digestive system (cont...)
• stomach
• small intestine
• large intestine
• rectum
• anus
Mouth
Mouth
• Also called oral cavity or buccal cavity, in human
anatomy, orifice through which food and air enter the
body. The mouth opens to the outside at the lips and
empties into the throat at the rear; its boundaries are
defined by the lips, cheeks, hard and soft palates, and
glottis.
• In the mouth, the food is chewed and broken down into a
form that can be easily digested. It is then mixed with
saliva that softens the food and kills bacteria that may be
present. It also contains the enzyme salivary amylase that
breaks down starch into its monosaccharide units,
Mouth
 Mechanical digestion
• Teeth - grinds tears and chews food and increases
surface area for further digestion
• Tongue - Facilitates mechanical breakdown by moving
when chewing.
Mouth
 Chemical digestion - Salivary glands produce saliva

which sterializes some bacteria and have the enyme
salivary amylase which begins breaking down starch in to
its monomers maltose.
 overall reactions
Starch → Maltose.
Esophagus
Esophagus
• Is a hollow, muscular tube that carries food and liquid

from your throat to your stomach. Muscles in your
esophagus propel food down to your stomach
• Found in between the mouth and the stomach.
• Joins the stomach by the lower Esophagal sphincter.
• leaves the mouth through the lower esophagal sphincter
• Digestion Mechanically Through
peristalsis( squeezing motion from the muscular
walls of the esophagus
Esophagus - Did you know that?
• Peristaltic contractions can move food into your stomach

even if you’re upside side.
• its only 25 cm in length, slightly bigger than an average

fork.
Esophagus - Disease
• Heartburn:
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD
• Esophagitis
• Barrett's esophagus
• Esophageal ulcer:
• Esophageal stricture are amongst the common
Stomach
Stomach
• Stomach, saclike expansion of the digestive system,

between the esophagus and the small intestine; it is
located in the anterior portion of the abdominal cavity in
most vertebrates.
• located on the left side of the upper abdomen.
• J-shaped
• Produces mainly Enzymes and Gastric acid.
• Have an acidic environment which is hostile for most
microorganisms.
Stomach - Function
• Temporarily store food.

• Contract and relax to mix and break down food.
• Produce enzymes and other specialized cells to digest
food.
Stomach - Anatomy
• cardia is the top part of your stomach. It contains the cardiac
sphincter, which prevents food from traveling back up your
esophagus.
• fundus is a rounded section next to the cardia. It's below your
diaphragm (the dome-shaped muscle that helps you breathe).
• body (corpus) is the largest section of your stomach. In the
body, your stomach contracts and begins to mix food.
• antrum lies below the body. It holds food until your stomach is
ready to send it to your small intestine.
Stomach - Anatomy
• pylorus is the bottom part of your stomach. It includes

the pyloric sphincter. This ring of tissue controls when and
how your stomach contents move to your small intestine.
Stomach - Digestion
• Mechanical - through movement by peristalsis
 Chemical - Enzymes Protease enzymes which break

down protien molecules
 Chyme
Did you know that? - Stomach
• Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two

weeks so it doesn’t digest itself.
• People can, and have lived without a stomach if it has
been removed because of disease
• An adults stomach can hold approximately 1.5 liters of
material
• it produces 3 liters of hydrochloric acid in a single day.
Small Intestine
Small Intestine
• The small intestine is the longest part of the digestive

system. It extends from the stomach (pylorus) to the large
intestine (cecum) and consists of three parts: duodenum,
jejunum and ileum
• it is referred to as the small intestine, is because its lumen
(opening) is smaller in diameter (at approximately 2. 5
centimeters or 0.98 inches) than the large intestine
• most of the digestion and absorption of nutrients from
food takes place here
Small intestine - Function
• Digestion
• Absrption
• alkalization of chyme
• hub for many digesive juices

Small Intestine - Anatomy
• The small intestine is the section of the digestive tract

where most food digestion and nutrient absorption occurs
• parts of the intestine are
• Duodenum
• jejunum
• ileum
Deodeunum
• The duodenum, the first and shortest section of the small

intestine, is a key organ in the digestive system.
• It’s a C shaped part of the small intestine immediately
after the stomach Its also short.
• The duodenum's C shape surrounds the pancreas, where
it receives pancreatic enzymes for digestion
• duodenum translates to "12 fingers," which is the
approximate length of the organ.1
Deodeunum - Digestion
• The duodenum receives undigested food from the

stomach—called chyme—and mixes it with digestive
juices and enzymes (from the intestinal wall and
pancreas) as well as with bile from the gallbladder.
• pancreatic enzymes and bile are mixed with the chyme.
Absorption of nutrients begins in the duodenum and
continues throughout the organs of the small intestine.
Jejunum
• The jejunum begins at an area of the small intestine

called the duodenojejunal flexure and ends at the ileum.
Unlike the border between the duodenum and jejunum,
there’s no clear border between the jejunum and the
ileum.
Small intestine - Digestion
• Mechanical - Peristalsis
• Chemical -
Did you know that? - S.I.
• The small intestine is 6 meters long!

• Leonardo da Vinci believed the intestines helped you
breathe.
• Your intestines could cover two tennis courts(if laid out flat
areally)
• Intestines are very discriminating.
• The intestines house your microbiome.

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Digestive system - An overview

• Colon (large intestine)

• Mechanical - any act of disintegrating the whole food we

• Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or

• there are 6 main groups of nutrients

• Other than water all other compounds that every living

• are proteins that help speed up metabolism, or the

• These Enzymes help chemically Break the bonds that

• Inthe GI tract and digestion supporting organs numerous

• More than one million carbon based bio-chemical

• Egg allergy develops when the body’s immune system

• The food you eat takes an incredible journey through your

 Chemical digestion - Salivary glands produce saliva

• Is a hollow, muscular tube that carries food and liquid

• Peristaltic contractions can move food into your stomach

• its only 25 cm in length, slightly bigger than an average

• Stomach, saclike expansion of the digestive system,

• Temporarily store food.

• pylorus is the bottom part of your stomach. It includes

• Mechanical - through movement by peristalsis

 Chemical - Enzymes Protease enzymes which break

• Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two

• The small intestine is the longest part of the digestive

• hub for many digesive juices

• The small intestine is the section of the digestive tract

• The duodenum, the first and shortest section of the small

• The duodenum receives undigested food from the

• The jejunum begins at an area of the small intestine

• The small intestine is 6 meters long!

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