The Digestion Process (Organs and Functions)

The digestive system involves organs that turn food into energy and eliminate waste.

The energy required for all the processes and activities that take place in our bodies is derived from the foods we ingest. The digestive system allows us to utilize food from such diverse sources as meat from an animal and the roots of a plant, and utilize them as an energy source. Whether it is the ability to coordinate the chewing of food without injuring our tongue and lips or the propulsion of the food from the stomach into the duodenum while releasing the appropriate enzymes, our digestive system allows us to manage the process without much thought and often while performing other tasks.

The process of digestion is a fascinating and complex one that takes the food we place in our mouths and turns it into energy and waste products. This process takes place in the gastrointestinal tract, a long, connected, tubular structure that starts with the mouth and ends with the anus. The food is propelled forward within the system, altered by enzymes and hormones into usable particles, and absorbed along the way.

Other organs that support the digestive process are the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. The time it takes for food to travel from entering the mouth to be excreted as waste is around 30 to 40 hours.

The mouth is the entry point for food.

The mouth is the entry point for food, but the digestive system often gets ready before the first piece of food even enters our mouth.

Saliva is released by the salivary glands into our oral cavity when we smell food. Once the food enters the mouth, chewing (mastication) breaks food into smaller particles that can be more easily attacked by the enzymes in saliva. Our teeth can perform a cutting as well as grinding function to accomplish this task. The tongue assists in mixing the food with the saliva and then the tongue and roof of the mouth (soft palate) help move the food along to the pharynx and esophagus.

The pharynx (throat) is the transition area from the mouth to the esophagus. From the pharynx there are two paths that the food bolus can take, including:

1. The wrong path, which is down the windpipe into the lungs
2. The correct path into the esophagus and then the stomach

The act of swallowing is a complex process that closes the windpipe (to protect our lungs) and moves food into the esophagus. This process is mostly automatic (reflex) but it is also partially under our direct control.

Once it enters the esophagus, food is moved down the esophagus and into our stomach. The esophagus is a muscular tube that contracts in a synchronized fashion (peristalsis) to move food down towards the stomach. While the muscles behind the food product contract, the muscles ahead of the food relax, causing the forward propulsion of the food. Peristalsis is the main mechanism by which food moves through our digestive system.

Once the food approaches the stomach, a muscular valve (the lower esophageal sphincter) relaxes and lets the food pass into the stomach. This sphincter has the important function of closing the stomach so no food or stomach acid reenters the esophagus (and therefore avoids heartburn or regurgitation).

Illustration of the stomach and intestine.

From glands that line the stomach, acid, and enzymes are secreted that continue the breakdown process of the food. The stomach muscles further mix the food. At the end of this process, the food you placed in your mouth has been transformed into a thick creamy fluid called chyme.

This thick fluid is then pushed into the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). With the help of enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver, further breakdown of the food occurs in the small intestine.

The small intestine has three segments.

• The first segment is the duodenum where the further breakdown of the food takes place.
• The next two parts of the small intestine (jejunum and ileum) are mostly responsible for the absorption of nutrients from processed food into the bloodstream through the walls of the intestine.

After the small intestine, the leftover waste leaves the upper gastrointestinal tract (upper GI tract) which is made up of everything above the large intestine, and moves into the large intestine or colon (the beginning of the lower GI tract).

Illustration of the digestive system. Anatomy of colon and rectum.

The role of the lower GI (gastrointestinal) tract is to solidify the waste product (by absorbing water), store the waste product until it can be evacuated (going to the bathroom), and help with the evacuation process.

The large intestine (colon) has four parts:

1. Ascending colon
2. Transverse colon
3. Descending colon
4. Sigmoid colon

All together the colon is approximately 7 feet long and connects to the rectum. Here as in most other parts of the GI system, the waste product is moved along by peristalsis. As the waste product passes through the colon, water is absorbed and stool is formed.

The stool from the colon is stored in the rectum. The anal sphincter provides control over releasing stool or holding it. Once stool arrives in the rectum, feedback to the brain makes the person aware of the need for a bowel movement. Voluntary control over the anal sphincter lets us hold the stool until we go to the toilet.

The liver produces bile for fat digestion and elimination.

Three other organs are instrumental in the digestive process.

1. Pancreas: Although the pancreas is mostly known for its blood sugar regulatory function with the production of insulin (as part of the endocrine system -- insulin goes directly from the gland into the bloodstream), it is the main producer of digestive enzymes as part of the exocrine system (the enzymes produced by the gland pass through a duct into the intestines). These enzymes are released into the duodenum and help with the digestion of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
2. Liver: The liver produces bile for fat digestion and elimination. In addition, nutrients are stored in the liver, and toxins and chemicals are filtered by the liver.
3. Gallbladder: Bile is stored and released from the gallbladder. When fatty food enters the duodenum, the gallbladder contracts, and releases bile.