Week #13

The Digestive System Chapter 10

Notes:

Digestion: the process by which the digestive system breaks down food into molecules that the body can use. 

Enzymes: substances that speed up chemical reactions 

Absorption: the process by which nutrients pass through the lining of your digestive system into your blood. 

Structures of the digestive system:

1. mouth

2. Pharynx

3. Esophagus

4. Stomach (chemical and mechanical digestion)

   • Mechanical Digestion as the stomach contracts to move the food​

   • Chemical Digestion: as the stomach acid and other chemicals break down the food 

5. Small intestines

   • liver: plays a role in releasing bile into the digestive tract which breaks up fat droplets​

   • Gallbladder: bile flows from the liver into the Gallbladder which then distributes it.

   • Pancreas: triangular organ that lies between the stomach and the small intestines. It secretes enzymes. 

6. Large intestines (colon)