Digestive System By: Thomas King

Mouth The mouth is an opening that food passes through, it can also be used for breathing through.

Esophagus A muscular tube that is roughly nine inches long, chewed food passes through this and goes into the stomach.

Stomach The stomach is a muscle that expands when full and shrinks when empty, it is full of stomach acid which partially digests food, after the food is digested, it passes into the small Intestine.

Small intestine Partially digested food is passed into the small intestine so that it can be further digested as well as absorb nutrients from the food. The small intestine consists of the Duodenum, Jejunum and Ileum.

Large intestine The larger intestine, it connects to the small intestine and to the colon, it converts the digested food into waste.

Liver A large gland that changes sugars in ones blood to glycogen and then stores the glycogen until required.

Appendix (No function confirmed.)

Pancreas A large gland that secretes pancreatic juice which helps break down carbohydrates and also secretes hormones like insulin.

Gall Bladder A sac that stores bile from the Liver.

Bile/Bile duct A greenish fluid secreted by the liver and passed into the duodenum. A duct that bile passes through from the liver or gall bladder into the duodenum.

Enzymes A complex protein.

Mucus A slippery secretion that is produced by mucous glands which it moistens.

Chemical Digestion The breakdown of food into simpler compounds. Proteins are broken down to amino acids, carbohydrates are broken down to simple sugars, and fats are broken down to fatty acids and glycerol.

Absorption Absorption is the breakdown of food into nutrients.

Mechanical Digestion Mechanical digestion is the breakdown of food through chewing or mixing.

Salivary Amylase Salivary amylase is the enzyme in the saliva that breaks down starches into sugars.

Villi A small finger shaped process that helps absorb food.

Gastric Juices the secretion of the gastric glands.

Duodenum The first part of the small intestine connecting it to the stomach.

Chyme The partly solid, partly fluid mass that is incompletely digested food, it is produced from the stomach and moves into the small intestine.

Bibliography Colon_Posters_i _.htm Colon_Posters_i _.htm