Anatomy & Physiology of Digestion:

Anatomy & Physiology of Digestion:

• Small Intestine
• The small intestine
plays a vital role in
chemical digestion and
water absorption.
 10 Facts That Explain How the Body
Absorbs Nutrients
1. Digestion Breaks Down
Food to Give the Body
Energy
 10 Facts That Explain How the Body
Absorbs Nutrients
2. Digestion Is a 6-Step
Process
 10 Facts That Explain How the Body
Absorbs Nutrients
3. Structures of the
Alimentary Canal Ingest
Food and Propel It on a
Journey Through the
Body
 10 Facts That Explain How the Body
Absorbs Nutrients
4. The Layers of the
Stomach Wall Help It to
Churn, Expand, and
Contract
 10 Facts That Explain How the Body
Absorbs Nutrients
5. The Autonomic Control of Digestion
Nervous System Plays a • Regulation is by the
Key Role in Digestion Autonomic Nervous
System
– Parasympathetic
nervous system
promotes digestion and
peristalsis
– Sympathetic nervous
system inhibits
peristalsis, digestion,
and mucus production
 10 Facts That Explain How the Body
Absorbs Nutrients
6. The Pharynx Is a
Multitasker
 10 Facts That Explain How the Body
Absorbs Nutrients
7. The Small Intestine Has
Three Regions
 10 Facts That Explain How the Body
Absorbs Nutrients
8. The Duodenum Is a
Receptacle for Digestive
Fluids
 10 Facts That Explain How the Body
Absorbs Nutrients
9. The Large Intestine Has
8 Regions
 10 Facts That Explain How the Body
Absorbs Nutrients
10. Digestive Juices
Chemically Break Down
Food
 Structures of the Oral Cavity Are Responsible
for the First Step of Digestion: Ingestion

• Mouth
• The mouth is made up
of the teeth, tongue,
hard palate, and soft
palate.
 Mechanical Digestion Begins When
the Teeth Break Down Ingested Food
Saliva Moistens Food and Begins the
Process of Chemical Digestion
 Peristalsis Creates Propulsion: How Food
Moves Through the Alimentary Canal

• Esophagus
• The esophagus is the
narrowest part of the
alimentary canal.
• The Epiglottis Directs
Swallowed Foodstuffs
Down the Esophagus
• Peristalsis Is the
Contraction of Muscle
Tissue That Helps Move
and Break Down
Foodstuffs
Peristaltic Waves Move Nutrients and
Waste Through the Intestines
 Accessory Organs: Glands and Organs
That Facilitate the Process of Digestion

• Liver
• The liver is the largest
gland in the body and is
an accessory organ of the
digestive system.
Saliva Moistens Food and Begins the
Chemical Digestion Process
The Liver Secretes Bile to Emulsify Fats in
the Small Intestine
The Gall Bladder Stores Bile
Pancreatic Juice Breaks Down Protein,
Fats, and Carbohydrates
Nutrients In, Waste Out: How the Human Body
Absorbs Nutrients and Eliminates Waste

• Large Intestine
• The large intestine
compacts liquid waste
into solid waste.
Villi That Line the Walls of the Small
Intestine Absorb Nutrients
 The Large Intestine Completes
Absorption and Compacts Waste
Defecation Eliminates Waste From the
Body
Identify the Parts of the Digestive
System
 Identify the Different Digestive Processes

• 1. The food is chewed and mixed with saliva,

which contains enzymes that begin breaking
down the carbohydrates in the food plus some
lipid digestion via lingual lipase.
2. It includes both the voluntary process of
swallowing and the involuntary process of
peristalsis.
3. Consists of sequential, alternating waves of
contraction and relaxation of alimentary wall
smooth muscles, which act to propel food along
4. It makes the food smaller to increase both
surface area and mobility.
5. Digestive secretions break down complex
food molecules into their chemical building
blocks
6. Food that has been broken down enters the
bloodstream and its nutrients are put to work.
7.Undigested materials are removed from the
body as feces.