Digestive System

Key Questions
o What are the functions of the digestive system?
o What occurs during digestion?
o How are nutrients absorbed and wastes eliminated?
Vocabulary
o Mechanical digestion
o Chemical digestion
o Amylase
o Esophagus
o Peristalsis
o Stomach
o Pepsin
o Chyme
o Small intestine
o Villus
o Large intestine
I.

II.

Functions of the Digestive System

a. The digestive system converts food into small molecules that can
be used by the cells of the body. Food is processed by the
digestive system is four phasesingestion, digestion, absorption,
and elimination
i. Ingestion- putting food into mouth
ii. Digestion- how food is broken down
1. Mechanical digestion- physical breakdown of larger
pieces into smaller pieces
2. Chemical digestion- enzymes break down food into
the small molecules the body can use
iii. Absorption- cells in the small intestine absorb the small
molecules, which then enter the circulatory system to be
transported throughout the body
iv. Elimination- how undigested/undigestable material such as
cellulose travels through the large intestine and exits the
body as feces
The Process of digestion
a. During digestion, food travels through the mouth, esophagus,
stomach, and small intestine. Mechanical digestion and chemical
digestion are the two processes by which food is reduced to
molecules that can be absorbed.
i. The Mouth
1. Chewing begins the process of mechanical digestion
with help from teeth and tongue

2. Salivary glands secrete saliva which moistens the

food so its easier to chew. Saliva also begins
chemical digestion with the enzyme amylase, which
begins to break down the chemical bonds in
starches, forming sugars
3. When food is chewed, tongue and throat muscles
push the clump of food, the bolus, down the throat.
When you swallow, the bolus first enters the area at
the back of the throat called the pharynx. As this
occurs, a flap of connective tissue called the
epiglottis closes over the opening to the trachea.
This prevents food from moving into air passageways
to the lungs.
ii. The Esophagus
1. After the mouth, food moves into the esophagus.
Contractions of smooth muscles, known as
peristalsis, squeeze food down the esophagus toward
the stomach
2. After food enters the stomach, a thick ring of muscle
called the cardiac sphincter closes the esophagus to
prevent food from flowing back.
a. Heartburt- when there is a backflow of stomach
acid into the esophagus. Can be caused by
overeating or drinking excessive caffeine
iii. The Stomach
1. Chemical Digestion
a. Stomach is a large muscular sac that continues
chemical and mechanical digestion of food.
b. Enzyme pepsin breaks proteins into smaller
polypeptide fragments
c. Stomach is lined with a protective mucus. If
this protective layer fails, acids may erode the
stomach lining and cause a sore called a peptic
ulcer.
i. Often a result of infection by bacterium
Helicobacter pylori
2. Mechanical Digestion
a. Alternating contractions of the stomachs 3
muscle layers thoroughly churn and mix
swallowed food, causing further breakdown of
food and giving enzymes greater access to the
food.
i. Eventually, the mixture is called chyme
b. After 1-2 hours, pyloric valve (between
stomach and small intestine) opens and chyme
spurts out into small intestine

III.

iv. Digestion in the Small Intestine

1. As chyme is pushed through the pyloric valve, it
enters the duodenum, the first part of the small
intestine.
a. Where almost all of the digestive enzymes
enter the intestine
b. Most of the chemical digestion and absorption
of food occurs in the small intestine
c. As chyme enters the duodenum from the
stomach, it mixes with enzymes and digestive
fluids from the pancreas, liver, and duodenum
itself
2. Pancreas- 3 important functions
a. Produces hormones that regulate blood sugar
levels
b. Produces hormones that break down
carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids
c. Produces sodium bicarbonate, a base that
quickly neutralizes stomach acid as chyme
enters the duodenum.
i. Ensures proper pH for enzymes in the
small intestine, which would be
denatured in the very acidic stomach
acid
3. Liver and Gallbladder
a. Assists the pancreas in fat digestion
i. Liver produces bile, which is stored in the
gallbladder.
1. Bile breaks up globs of fat into
smaller droplets that enzymes can
reach and breakdown
a. Process = emulsification
Absorption and Elimination
a. Most nutrients from food are absorbed through the walls of the
small intestine. The large intestine absorbs water and several
vitamins and prepared waste for elimination from the body.
i. Absorption from the small intestine
1. After leaving the duodenum, chyme moves along the
rest of the small intestine. By this time, most of the
chemical digestion has been completed.
2. Surface of SI is specially adapted for absorption of
nutrients.
a. Folded surface with fingerlike projections called
villi to provide an enormous surface area for
absorption of nutrient molecules

b. Most of the products of carbohydrate and

protein digestion are absorbed into the
capillaries in the villi. Most fats and fatty acids
are absorbed by lymph vessels
c. By the time chyme is ready to leave the small
intestine, it is basically nutrient-free, and
mainly only water, cellulose, and other
undigestable substances remain
ii. Absorption from the large intestine
1. When chyme leaves SI it enters the LI
a. Shorter than SI, but larger diameter
b. Primary function of LI is to remove water from
the undigested material that is left
c. Bacteria in LI produce compounds that the
body is able to absorb and use, including
vitamin K
iii. Elimination
1. The concentrated waste material (feces) that is left
after most of the water has been removed passes
into the rectum and is eliminated from the body
through the anus.
a. If not enough water was absorbed by LI =
diarrhea
b. If too much water was absorbed by LI =
constipation