The Gastrointestive System: The Digestive System

Digestive System The digestive system is also known as the gastrointestinal system, where the mouth is connected by a series of organs all the way through the body to the anus. This article stated, “digestion is the process in which the body breaks down our food and drinks into smaller particles to feed and nourish our cells” (“Your digestive system,” 2004). This process is important for the body to use the nutrients from food towards energy, growth, cell repair, as well as our overall well-being. In order for digestion to begin food needs to be entered into the mouth or oral cavity. This is where the teeth chew the food up and the tongue meshes the food particles together into a bolus or ball along with the help of the lips, cheeks, and saliva. According to Gylys and Wedding, “the saliva contains important digestive enzymes the help begin the chemical breakdown of food such as starches” (Gylys and Wedding, 2013, p. 120). The saliva production increases when the chewing becomes more through to help lubricate the bolus as it travels downward into the throat. The throat or pharynx is a funnel shape located right between the mouth and esophagus, which is a narrow muscular tube …show more content…
The major function of the large intestine is to absorb water and vitamins from the remaining indigestible food matter and transmit the useless waste material to the rectum. The large intestine can be separated into three different sections: the ascending colon, transverse colon, and the descending colon. The descending colon is connected to an S-shape figure known as the sigmoid colon and finally connected to the straightened canal of the rectum. The rectum function is to receive the stool from colon and hold there until it needs to be transferred out. The final step of the digestive system consists of the anus, where the stool is finally released from the