The Digestive System

Jeff Yezek
 General Functions
• Ingestion- The intake of food by the mouth

• Secretion- In this stage, it begins to break down the food. It uses liquids
that are: Saliva- makes dry food moist, Mucus- Serves as a lubricant in the
GI tract, Hydrochloric Acid- Helps to chemically digest food and fights off
bacteria living in the food, Enzymes- break down proteins, carbohydrates
and lipids to make them smaller, and Bile- used to disperse masses of
lipids to make digestion easier.

• Mixing and Movement- Swallowing uses smooth skeletal musket to get

food from the mouth to the pharynx, then the the esophagus. Peristalsis is
a muscular wave that goes through the GI tract. It moves slightly digested
food slowly to from the esophagus, to the stomach, through the intestines,
then reach the end of the GI tract. Segmentation happens in the small
intestine. Show parts of the intestine contract to help mix the food and
absorb more nutrients.
General Functions Cont.
• Digestion- The process of taking large pieces of food, and turning them into chemicals. There
are a few different types of digestion: Mechanical Digestion- starts with the chewing of food,
and ties in with the mixing and moving explained earlier. Chemical Digestion- it begins at the
same time as mechanical digestion. Salivary Amylase in saliva begins to split complex
carbohydrates into simple carbohydrates. The stomach keeps doing this same type of
digestion with acid and enzymes. The small intestine does most of the digesting because of
the pancreas. The pancreas makes pancreatic juice that digest lipids, carbohydrates,
proteins and nucleic acid. After all of the digesting, the food is now fatty acid, amino acids,
monosaccharides and nucleotides.

• Absorption- Now that the food is broken down, the body needs to absorb it. Absorption starts
in the stomach. Simple molecules get absorbed and are put in the blood stream. A lot of the
absorption happens in the small intestine. Small blood and lymphatic vessels are able to carry
molecules to the rest of the body due to the broken down food having contact with the walls of
the intestine. The large intestine absorbs things like water, vitamin B and vitamin K.

• Excretion- The excretion of waste is known as defecation. Defecation takes all the
substances that can’t be digested, and gets rid of them The brain tells you when you need to
get rid of waste.
 Major Organs
• Salivary Glands

• Pharynx

• Esophagus

• Stomach

• Small Intestine

• Large Intestine

• Rectum
 4 Major Types of Teeth
• Incisors- Found in the front of your mouth.Thin
surface for cutting food up into smaller pieces.

• Canines- Found next to the incisors on both

sides of the mouth. Sharp teeth used for tougher
foods like meat.

• Premolars and Molars- Found in the back of the

mouth. The rough surface on the teeth is for
grinding food up.
 Enzymes
• Pepsin- Comes from gastric chief cells. Starts
breaking down proteins.

• Salivary Amylase- Comes from the salivary

glands. Starts the breakdown of carbohydrates
by breaking down starch and glycogen to make
disaccharides

• Bile- Comes from the liver. Breaks down fats into

fatty acids.
 Minerals
• Calcium- Forms the bones and teeth, needed for muscle fiber contraction and
blood coagulation.

• Phosphorus- Also helps form bones and teeth.

• Potassium- Maintains osmotic pressure and also regulates pH.

• Sulfur- Part of various amino acids, thiamine, insulin, biotin, and

mucopolysaccharides.

• Sodium- Helps maintain osmotic pressure of extracellular fluids, regulates water

movement, plays a role in nerve impulse conduction, and regulates pH and
transport of substances across cell membranes

• Chlorine-Helps maintain osmotic pressure of extracellular fluids, regulates pH,

maintains electrolyte balance, forms hydrochloric acid, and helps transport of
carbon dioxide by red blood cells.

• Magnesium-Used in metabolic reactions in mitochondria that produce ATP, also

plays a role in the breakdown of ATP to ADP
 Elements
• Iron- Catalyzes vitamin A formation. It is involved with many types of enzymes.

• Manganese- Activates enzymes required for fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis.

• Copper- Needed for hemoglobin synthesis, development of bones, melanin

production and myelin formation.

• Iodine- Necessary for synthesis of thyroid hormones.

• Cobalt- Needed for synthesis of some enzymes.

• Zinc- Involved in digestion, respiration, bone metabolism, liver metabolism. Needed

for wound healing.

• Fluorine- Component in tooth structure.

• Selenium- Component of certain enzymes.

• Chromium- Essential for use of carbohydrates.

 Water and Fat Soluble
Vitamins
• Water Soluble vitamins travel freely through the
body. Excess water soluble vitamins are
excreted by the kidneys. Our bodies need these
vitamins frequently, but in small dosages.

• Fat-soluble vitamins - A, D, E, and K - dissolve in

fat and could be stored in your liver and fat
tissue. They help in the development of bones
and teeth.
Anal Fissure
 Causes

• An anal fissure is a small cut just on the edge of

your anus. Theres no way to be appropriate
about this. If you have an anal fissure, you either
had a hard, dry, or very large poop.
 Symptoms

• Your anus will hurt bad especially when going to

the bathroom.

• Your anus will itch and it will bleed. Bleeding

usually occurs after going to the bathroom.
 Diagnosis

• There are no tests required. If you match up with

the symptoms when asked, you’ve got it.
 Prognosis
• A person can expect to have all of the symptoms.

• Anal fissures are not fatal.

• They usually go away on their own within 4 to 6

weeks.

• You may be able to take some medicine to help

with inflammation or constipation, but you just
have to wait for them to go away.
 Treatment
• Pain killers may help with the sting.

• Certain steroids may help with inflammation.

• Laxatives will help with constipation.

• You also should take good care of yourself.

Personal hygiene is important to have so it
doesn't get infected.
 Prevention/Cure

• You can’t prevent this entirely. The only way to

do that would be to control how big you will
poop. Kudos to you if you know how to do that.
The only cure for this problem is patience. Just
wait it out. Doctors can recommend medicine for
the pain, but thats about it.