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Understanding the Digestive System Functions and Organs

Discover the functions and roles of the digestive system's key organs like teeth, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder. Learn about food breakdown processes and the significance of mechanical and chemical digestion in maintaining overall health.

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Understanding the Digestive System Functions and Organs

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  1. Accessory Digestive Organs • Teeth • Salivary glands • Pancreas • Liver • Gallbladder

  2. Functions of the Digestive System • Food breakdown as mechanicaldigestion • Breaking large pieces into small pieces (increase surface area) • Prepares food for further degradation by enzymes • Examples: • Mixing food in the mouth by the tongue • Churning food in the stomach • Segmentation in the small intestine

  3. Functions of the Digestive System • Food breakdown as chemical digestion • Enzymes break down food molecules into their building blocks • Each major food group uses different enzymes • Carbohydrates (polysaccharides/starches) are broken to simple sugars monosaccharides/glucose) • Proteins (peptides) are broken to amino acids • Lipids (Fats) are broken to fatty acids and glycerol *Cellulose is a carbohydrate that cannot be broken down by our digestive system and is referred to as ruffage or fiber- it helps clean the system

  4. Teeth • Function is to masticate (chew) food • Humans have two sets of teeth • Deciduous (baby or “milk”) teeth • 20 teeth are fully formed by age two • Permanent teeth • Replace deciduous teeth between the ages of 6 and 12 • A full set is 32 teeth, but some people do not have wisdom teeth (third molars) • If they do emerge, the wisdom teeth appear between ages of 17 and 25

  5. Salivary Glands • Three pairs of salivary glands empty secretions into the mouth parotid sublingual submandibular

  6. Saliva • Contains mucus, helps to form a food bolus • Contains salivary amylase to begin starch digestion • Has antimicrobial properties and contains phagocytes • Dissolves chemicals so they can be tasted • Is continuously made throughout the day, peeking in the afternoon • Can also be stimulated to produce more saliva at other times (mouth waters)

  7. Pancreas • Found posterior to the parietal peritoneum • Extends across the abdomen from spleen to duodenum • Connected to the duodenum via various ducts

  8. Pancreas • Produces buffer (alkaline substance) • Neutralizes stomach acids still in the chyme • Produces enzymes • Pancreatic amylase: continues the breakdown of starch into glucose • Protease: breaks proteins into amino acids • Lipase: breaks fat into fatty acids and glycerol

  9. Liver • Largest gland in the body • Located on the right side of the body under the diaphragm • Consists of four lobes • Connected to the duodenum via the common hepatic duct

  10. Liver • Produces bile: a yellow-green substance • Physically breaks down fat to increase surface area: process known as emulsification • Stored in the gall bladder

  11. Gall bladder • Sac-like structure • Found embedded in the lower liver • Stores bile backed up in the duct • Hormonally controlled to release bile to duodenum

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