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المرجو انتظار 10 ثواني
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtztJP5IkNQ
The Digestive System's Biological Function
The digestive system is of vital biological importance to the body. Without the ability to process foods, extract nutrients, and eliminate waste, every part of our body would cease to function. Even very small problems with our digestive system can result in nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, and significant discomfort. Every part must work together.
Food must be processed in three ways: digestion, absorption, and elimination, and the digestive system is responsible for the accomplishment of all three of these biological functions. All food ingested must be digested, nutrients absorbed, and unnecessary or harmful agents eliminated from the body.
Digestive System: The Food Journey
The journey of the food we eat through the digestive system is more complicated than one might expect.
Our Mouth: Believe it or not, the mouth will prepare for digestion before food even enters. Just the smell, sight, or sound of food is enough to trigger saliva glands into action. This is important because the chemicals in saliva work with the mechanism of the tongue and teeth to break down food in a way that both prepares it for the next steps and ensure optimal absorption of nutrients.
The Pharynx: Once food has been put through the chemical and mechanical digestion occurring in the mouth, it's time to make its way down to the stomach. To get there, the tongue and soft palate work together to push food back, closing off our trachea and passing it through our throat (otherwise known at the pharynx) - another good reason to make sure food is broken down!
The Esophagus: After passing through the pharynx, food enters the esophagus and is pushed through a series of involuntary contractions (called "peristalsis") toward the lower esophageal sphincter otherwise known as LES. It is this sphincter that malfunctions in conditions like GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) or heartburn.
The Stomach: Finally, the food has reached the stomach. With strong muscular walls the stomach acts as mixer and grinder, mechanically digesting our food while its acids and enzymes work to chemically digest it. In the end, our food is reduced to nothing more than nutritious liquid and small solid remnants.
The Small Intestine: After passing through the stomach, it's on to the small intestine where the nutritious liquid and small solid remnant are exposed to even more chemical digestion via enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver as peristalsis (the same involuntary contractions which occur in the esophagus) forces the food along its way. It is at this point that our body finally receives the nutrients from our food via the bloodstream, while the remainder makes it way to the colon.
The Colon: The final stop in our food’s journey through our digestive system, the colon’s job is to remove liquid from the non-nutritive food waste until it becomes solid and ready for excretion. By the time our food is ready for the toilet, it’s been approximately 36 hours since it originally entered our mouth.
