Food is one of the basic needs of human in order to survive.
Like Carla, we need to eat and digest it to
gain energy and important nutrients in order for us to accomplish the things we need to do everything.
Did you know that the simple act of eating is digestion? Digestion takes place in the digestive system
that starts in the mouth and ends in the anus.
Digestion takes the food that we eat and the liquids that we drink and converts them to energy that can
be used and extracts substances that can be absorbed by the body.
There are two types of digestion: mechanical and chemical digestion.
Mechanical digestion is the digestion achieved through a mechanism or movement.
There are two basic types of mechanical digestion: mastication and peristalsis.
Mastication, or chewing, is the start of digestion. Hence, digestion starts as soon as the food enters the
mouth. Mastication is the mechanical breakdown of food in the mouth. When a person chews the food,
the teeth and saliva breaks it into smaller pieces that allows digestion to happen easily.
Peristalsis is the involuntary movement of food from the esophagus down to the intestines.
Chemical digestion refers to the digestion of food by chemicals that assist in breaking down the
food into simple substances. These include enzymes that hasten the process of digestion. There are
three types of enzymes: amylase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin.
Parts of the Digestive System
Amylase is an enzyme found in the saliva that digest the starch or sugar from bread and rice.
Trypsin is an enzyme produced by the pancreas that digests the protein in meat.
Chymotrypsin is an enzyme that helps in digesting casein found in milk and gelatin.
The digestive system is divided into two divisions: the gastrointestinal tract (GI Tract) and the accessory
digestive organs.
The Gl tract is composed of the mouth and its parts, the pharynx and esophagus, the stomach, and the
intestines.
The mouth or the oral cavity is where the food enters the digestive system. It is composed of different
parts to aid in chewing the food, such as teeth, palate, and tongue.
We use our teeth to chew the food before swallowing (ingestion). Young kids have 20 deciduous or baby
teeth which are replaced by 32 permanent teeth.
The tongue is a muscle that helps the food to move going through the esophagus. It also has taste buds
which enable a person to taste sweet, sour, bitter, and salty foods.
The palate is the roof of the mouth that separates oral cavity from nasal cavity. There are two types of
palate: the soft palate, which is found at the back portion of the mouth, and the hard palate, which is
found in the front.
The pharynx is the portion that receives food from the mouth and air from the nose. Swallowing
happens in the pharynx. Swallowing is a reflex action and is performed involuntarily.
The esophagus is the tube that leads to the stomach. It is the passageway of food from the mouth to the
stomach. Peristalsis is the contraction that pushes the food down the esophagus.
The stomach is a J-shaped organ that is found in the left side of the body. lt is a thick-walled muscle and
can expand and accommodate large amount of food. When food is present in the stomach, the stomach
churns and digestive juices act on the food and turns in into a thick, soupy liquid called chyme.
The chyme produced in the stomach will now be absorbed in the small intestine. Villi (singular: villus),
which are finger-like projections present in the walls of the small intestines, help in the absorption of
nutrient. Undigested food passes through the large intestines and are eliminated in the anus (excretion).
The accessory digestive organs consist of the liver, pancreas, and gall bladder.
The liver is the largest internal organ of the body. It has the capacity to regenerate. Its function is vital in
digestion because it detoxifies the blood by removing harmful substances from alcohol and medicine,
produces bile that is stored in the gall bladder for fat emulsification, and stores iron and vitamins A, D, E,
and K.
The gall bladder is a sac-like organ that stores bile. The pancreas is a gland that secretes insulin for sugar
digestion.
Proper Care of the Digestive System
Our digestive system is very important because of its role in transforming nutritional substances from
the food to molecules that our body can absorb. Because the digestive system works to assist in the
nourishment of the body, we must take care of it in order for the system to do its role properly.
Unhealthy habits and lack of proper care can lead to some common diseases of the digestive system.
Eating contaminated food can irritate the intestinal walls, causing diarrhea. Diarrhea is a loose, watery
stool that occurs frequently. Prolonged diarrhea may result to water loss or dehydration. Oral
rehydration solution (ORS), which replaces lost water and ions due to diarrhea, can treat dehydration.
Not drinking lots of water can lead to constipation. Constipation is a condition wherein excretion of
feces is very difficult. Other causes of constipation are improper digestion of protein and lack of fiber in
the diet. Fiber is found in fruits and vegetables.
Gastric ulcers are sores that develop in the lining of the stomach as a result of the stomach producing
acids to kill germs or bacteria. Causes of gastric ulcers are bacterial in nature and sometimes due to
medication. The most common symptom of gastric ulcer is abdominal pain.
