What are the major functions of the digestive system?
Posted by sri_palanisamy
1. To facilitate food transfer into body (esophagus)
2. Digest food + absorb nutrients into blood stream
3. To process waster and expel it from the body (stool)
Posted by Insulinshock
Nutrient absorption is the main, and most important, function. Enzymes in the stomach and intestine break down complex molecules into simple sugars, fats, and amino acids. These are then absorbed into the body by the small intestine.
The main function of the large intestine is water absorption, which makes your stool solid.
Posted by ME
Digesting,look at the name
Posted by Nikki L
1. The digestive system breaks down the food you eat into more smaller particles that can easily be absorbed (absorption happens in the small intestine).
Physical breakdown begins in the mouth by biting , chewing the food. Chemical breakdown also happens in the mouth, where the chemical enzyme, salivary amylase helps to break down starch (a form of carbohydrate). This enzyme is secreted through the saliva.
The esophagus is just a transport tube, then in the stomach proteins are broken down into amino acids by the enzyme pepsin, which is secreted by chief cells in the wall of the stomach.
Then the food enters the small intestine. The first part of the small intestine (the duodenum) is also for chemical digestion of food, but only starch (again) and fats are broken down here. The starch is broken down by a different enzyme here called pancreatic amylase (secreted by the pancreas), and the fats are broken down by bile secreted from the gallbladder but made in the liver.
The remaining part of the small intestine is due to the absorption of these small molecules produced by digestion, hence it's large surface area.
The undigested matter and water is led inot the large intestine, where the majority of the water is absorbed, not all or otherwise our faeces would be very hard.
The undigested waste matter is stored in the rectum and then excreted via the anus when we go to the toilet.
hope this helped :)
Orignal From: What are the major functions of the digestive system?
Post a Comment