• The digestive system of the human body

comprises a group of organs working

together to convert food into energy for
the body.
• Human Digestive System and Nutrition
involve the intake of food by an organism

• In a nutshell, the digestive tract has the

tumultuous responsibility of converting
large chunks of food into their constituent
micro-molecules that will subsequently be
used to build and repair the body.
The functions of the digestive system are:
Ingestion. Food must be placed into the mouth before it can be acted on; this is
an active, voluntary process called ingestion.

Propulsion. If foods are to be processed by more than one digestive organ, they
must be propelled from one organ to the next; swallowing is one example of
food movement that depends largely on the propulsive process
called peristalsis (involuntary, alternating waves of contraction
and relaxation of the muscles in the organ wall).

Mechanical breakdown. Mechanical digestion prepares food for further

degradation by enzymes by physically fragmenting the foods into smaller
pieces, and examples of mechanical digestion are the mixing of food in the
mouth by the tongue, churning of food in the stomach, and segmentation in the
small intestine.
Chemical digestion. The sequence of steps in which large food molecules are
broken down into their building blocks by enzymes is called chemical
digestion.

Absorption. Transport of digested end products from the lumen of the GI tract
to the blood or lymph is absorption, and for absorption to happen, the digested
foods must first enter the mucosal cells by active or passive transport processes.

Defecation. Defecation is the elimination of indigestible residues from the GI

tract via the anus in the form of feces.
Components of Digestive system
The digestive system consist of 2 part
A. Primary canal/organ: it is long tube that runs from the mouth through
to he anus. It also called the gastrointestinal tract, is a continuous, hollow
muscular tube.

Primary organs: B. Accessory organs: the

1. mouth, accessory organ aid
2.tongue digestion. These include:
2. pharynx, 1. Salivary glands
3.esophagus, 2. Liver,
4. stomach, 3. Gall bladder,
5. small intestines (duodenum, jejunum, ileum), 4. Pancreas
6. large intestine (colon), rectum and anal canal
Primary digestive Organs
1. Mouth (oral cavity)
It is part of digestive and respiratory systems.
It starts at lips and ends towards tonsils.
Mouth function in digestive system
• Mouth is where digestion begins.
• Once the food is inside of the mouth:
• saliva moistens it.
• the teeth and tongue break it down mechanically.
• an enzyme in the saliva, salivary amylase, breaks it down into starch.
• Chewing and amylase digestion will convert the food into a small, round blob, or
bolus. This enables a person to swallow it easily.
The inside of mouth contains:
-lips
-Teeth.
-Gums (gingiva).
-Palate (roof of mouth)
Hard palate- anterior portion of the
roof of mouth
Soft palate-posterior portion of the
roof of mouth
-Oral mucosa (mucus membranes).
-Salivary glands.
-Tongue.
2.Tongue. mostly made of muscles and
covered by mucosa
-also covered with different types of papillae
(bumps) and taste buds including:
Filiform. Located on the front two-thirds of
tongue, don’t contain taste buds. They are
fine, small, cone-shaped and are responsible
for the sensation of touch.

Fungiform. The fungiform papillae are club

shaped, generally red in color. They are found
on the tip of the tongue, They have taste buds
on their upper surface which can distinguish
the tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty.
•Circumvallate. dome-shaped structures on
the human tongue that vary in number from 8
to 12. They appear larger than the other types
of papillae, and they contain approximately
250 taste buds.

•Foliate. They are located on the sides at the

back of the tongue, The foliate papillae appear
as a series of red colored, leaf–like ridges
of mucosa. They are covered with epithelium,
lack keratin and so are softer, and bear many
taste buds.
3. Pharynx
• extend from nose to esophagus.
• Funnel shape tube, 13 mm long
• Pharynx has 3 parts
Nasopharynx: superior portion of pharynx
• Important for respiration
Oropharynx: intermediate portion of pharynx
Laryngopharynx: Inferior portion of pharynx

From the mouth, food passes posteriorly into

the oropharynx and laryngopharynx.
4. Esophagus
-The esophagus or gullet, runs from the
pharynx through the diaphragm to the
stomach.
-About 25 cm (10 inches) long
-it is essentially a passageway that conducts
food by peristalsis to the stomach.
Activities Occurring in the Mouth, Pharynx, and Esophagus
The activities that occur in the mouth, pharynx, and esophagus are food
ingestion, food breakdown, and food propulsion
1.Food Ingestion and Breakdown
Once food is placed in the mouth- First, the food is physically broken down
into smaller particles by chewing.
•Then, as the food is mixed with saliva, salivary amylase begins the chemical
digestion of starch, breaking it down into maltose.

2. Food Propulsion – Swallowing

•once the food has been chewed and well mixed with saliva, the food mass is
forced into the pharynx by the tongue.
•it transports food through the pharynx and esophagus;
•Stomach entrance. Esophagus presses, and food enters the stomach.
Division of abdomen
5. Stomach
Location. The C-shaped stomach is on the
left side of the abdominal cavity, nearly
hidden by the liver and the diaphragm.
• It is a muscular bag that store food and
help in digestion process by passing it
into small intestine
Size. The stomach varies from 15 to 25 cm
in length, but its diameter and volume
depend on how much food it contains;
Capacity.
At birth: 250ml
At Puberty: 1000ml
Adult :1500-2000ml
•Stomach has 4 parts
a. Cardiac region. through which food enters the stomach from the esophagus.
it contain cardiac sphincter which prevent food travelling back to esophagus.

b. Fundus. The fundus is the expanded part of the stomach lateral to the
cardiac region.
c. Body. The body is the midportion, and present below fundus. food is mainly
stored here and mixed up.
-greater curvature: concave boarder
-lesser curvature: convex boarder

d. Pylorus. The pylorus is the terminal part of the stomach and it is continuous
with the small intestine through the pyloric sphincter or valve.This ring tissue
controls how stomach move food into small intestine
Stomach’s structure
•Mucosa is stomach’s inner lining. When
stomach is empty, the mucosa has small
ridges (rugae). When it is full, the mucosa
expands, and the ridges flatten. In contain
digestive juices(HCL and pepsin)
•Submucosa contains connective tissue,
blood vessels, lymph vessels and nerve
cells. It covers and protects the mucosa.
•Muscularis externa is the primary muscle
of stomach. It contract and relax to break
down food.
•Serosa is a layer of membrane that covers
stomach.
Function of stomach
1.Storage: acts as a temporary reservoir, holding food while initial digestive
processes begin.

2.Protein digestion: Gastric juices start breaking down proteins into smaller chains,
preparing them for further digestion and absorption further down in the digestive
tract.
3.Mixing and churning: The stomach muscles contract and relax, mixing food with
digestive juices and breaking it down into smaller particles.

4.Digestive process: The stomach secretes gastric juices containing hydrochloric

acid and enzymes like pepsin and gastrin, which start chemical digestion that
begins the breakdown of proteins.

5.Emptying: The stomach empties the contents of the stomach into the small
intestine through peristalsis.
6. Small intestine
• The small intestine is the longest
part(6meter) of the GI tract, and it is
where most of our digestion takes place

• When food leaves from stomach, it

enters the small intestine, also called the
small bowel.
• Location. inside the lower abdominal
cavity beneath the stomach. The large
intestine surrounds it.
• The small bowel connects to the large
bowel, also called the
large intestine or colon.
The small intestine is where most of the long process of digestion takes place.
It:
•Systematically breaks food down.
•Absorbs nutrients.
•Extracts water.
•Moves food along the gastrointestinal tract.
The process can take up to five hours.
Different parts of the small intestine:3 parts-
a. Duodenum
b. Jejunum
c. Ileum
a. Duodenum
first part of the small intestine that the stomach
feeds into. It’s a short, descending chute (about 10
inches long) that curves around the pancreas in a
“C” shape before connecting to the rest of the
coiled intestines.
• small intestine receives digestive juices from
liver, gallbladder and pancreas.
• Hormone glands in the lining of the duodenum
signal these organs to release their chemicals
when food is present.
b. Jejunum
The remaining small intestine lays in many coils
inside the lower abdominal cavity, called the jejunum
It is characterized by many blood vessels, which give
it a deep red color.
• After chemical digestion in the duodenum, food
moves into the jejunum,
• Food is churn back and forth (segmentation),
mixing it with digestive juices.

c. Ileum
The ileum is the last and longest section of the small
intestine. Here the walls of the small intestine begin
to thin and narrow. Food spends the most time in the
ileum, where the most water and nutrients are
absorbed.
7. Large intestine
The large intestine is the last part of the
gastrointestinal (GI) tract
• It follows from the small intestine and ends at
the anal canal
• here food waste is formed into poop, stored,
and finally excreted.
• It includes the colon, rectum and anus.
Sometimes “colon” is also used to describe
the entire large intestine.
• 6 feet long. It’s called the large intestine
because it is wider (3 inches) than small
intestine (1 inch) in diameter.
Different parts of the large
intestine
Its three parts are the colon, the rectum
and the anus.
The colon can also be divided into parts-
• The entry point, about six inches
long, is called the cecum.
• The rest of the colon is divided into
segments:
ascending colon (traveling up), the
transverse colon
descending colon (traveling down) and
sigmoid colon (headed back across to
the right).
Cecum
The cecum is the beginning of the colon. This is the reservoir where
food from the small intestine arrives in the large intestine. When the
cecum is full, it triggers the muscle movements of the colon to begin.
Colon
The colon secretes mucus to bind and lubricate the food waste to help
it pass through smoothly as it is dehydrated.
Like the small intestine, the large intestine churns the food. But this
process is much slower in the large intestine Here, friendly gut
bacteria break down the remaining carbohydrates to produce key
vitamins (B and K) that are absorbed through the mucosa.
Rectum
By the time the sigmoid colon delivers the food waste to the rectum, it
resembles the poop. The poop now consists of indigestible matter and dead
cells shed from your intestinal mucosa, along with small amounts of mucus
and water. When poop enters the rectum, it triggers the urge to defecate.
Anus
The anus is the canal our poop will travel through to leave our body.
Accessory Digestive Organs
• Accessory organs of digestion are
organs that secrete substances
needed for the chemical digestion
of food but through which food does
not actually pass as it is digested.
• These organs secrete or store
substances that are needed
for digestion in the first part of
the small intestine. These are-
1.Salivary glands
2.Liver
3.Gall bladder
4.Pancreas
1. Salivary glands
salivary glands produce saliva (spit) and empty it
into mouth through duct or small openings. They
lubricate mouth and throat, aid in swallowing and
digestion
The three major salivary glands
Sublingual glands: These are below either side of
tongue
Submandibular glands: Located below jaw, it
consist of two parts: the superficial lobe and the
deep lobe.
Parotid glands: it is just in front of our ears. It
have two parts: superficial and deep.
The saliva produced by parotid glands enters into
mouth from small ducts.
What is the role of salivary glands?
The main salivary gland function is saliva production. Saliva plays an
important role in supporting your oral and overall health. For example, saliva:
•Keeps your mouth and throat lubricated and comfortable.
•Moistens food so it’s easier to swallow.
•Contains an enzyme called amylase, which helps your stomach break down
starches in food.
•Keeps your mouth clean.
•Helps reduce your risk of cavities and gum disease.
•Helps maintain the pH balance in your mouth.
2.Liver
• The liver is located in the upper right part of
the abdomen. It lies just below the diaphragm
to the right of the stomach
• It plays an important role in digestion by
secreting bile

• Reddish-brown, wedge-shaped structure.

• In adults, normally is weighs about 1.5 kg. It is
both the heaviest internal organ and the largest
gland in the human body.
• The liver consists of 2 main lobes. Both are
made up of 8 segments that consist of 1,000
lobules (small lobes).
• these lobules are connected to small ducts
(tubes) that connect with larger ducts to form
the common hepatic duct. The common
hepatic duct transports the bile made by the
liver cells to the gallbladder and duodenum
(the first part of the small intestine) via the
common bile duct.

Liver is connected to two large blood vessels:

-the hepatic artery: carries oxygen-rich blood
from the aorta
-the portal vein : carries blood that is rich in
digested nutrients from the GI tract and wastes
filtered from the blood by the spleen
Function of liver

•Makes bile, which helps carry away waste and break down fats in the small intestine
during digestion
•Makes certain proteins for blood plasma
•Makes cholesterol and special proteins to help carry fats through the body
•Stores and releases glucose as needed
•Changes harmful ammonia to urea
•Clears the blood of medicines and other harmful substances
•Regulates blood clotting
•Fights infections by making immune factors and removing bacteria from the
bloodstream
•Clears bilirubin (too much bilirubin makes skin and eyes turn yellow)
3.Pancreas
• Pancreas is a large, tadpole-shaped gland situated deep in our belly.
• It sits behind stomach and in front of spine.
• Gallbladder, liver and spleen surround pancreas.
• It plays an important role in digestion and blood sugar regulation.
• Pancreatic disease can be hard to diagnose due to the location of the
organ.
• It is a dual organ — like a factory with two production lines.

• It makes:
•Enzymes to help with digestion (exocrine system).
•Hormones to control the amount of sugar in your bloodstream
(endocrine system).
Pancreas anatomy
Parts of the pancreas include the:
•Head: The wider part of
pancreas that sits in the curve of
duodenum.
•Neck: The short part of
pancreas extending from the
head.
•Body: The middle part of
pancreas between the head and
neck, which extends upward.
•Tail: The thinnest part of
pancreas, located near spleen.
4. Gallbladder
• Gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped
organ that stores and releases bile.

• Itis located in the upper right part of

abdomen (belly). It sits just under
liver.
Function
• Its main function is to store bile.
• Bile is the fluid, liver produces that
helps digest fats in the food.