Digestive

System
SCIENCE 8
 DIGESTIVE
TRACT
Is a long tube of organs
for food ingestion,
nutrient absorption and
distribution, and waste
excretion.
ACCESSORY DIGESTIVE ORGANS

LIVER PANCREAS
GALLBLADDER
 Food undergoes two types of digestion

MECHANICAL CHEMICAL
DIGESTION DIGESTION
MECHANICAL
DIGESTION
Food is physically broken
down into smaller pieces
by biting, chewing, and
churning.
 CHEMICAL
DIGESTION
The complex food
molecules are chemically
decomposed into simpler
ones.
 This process is made possible by enzymes,
which are substances that speed up chemical
reactions.
 PARTS OF THE
DIGESTIVE TRACT
 ORAL CAVITY
Is the site of ingestion, the
process of taking in food by
eating and drinking.

Inside the mouth are the teeth

and tongue, which are
involved in the mechanical
digestion of food.
Saliva contains the enzyme amylase, which
initially breaks down carbohydrates in food.
 Chewed food inside
the mouth is called a
bolus (pl. boluses), a
ball-like mixture of
food particles and
saliva.
PHARYNX
Is a muscular tube
that serves as a
common
passageway for
both food and air.
 LARYNX
The pathway for air
going to the lungs
ESOPHAGUS
Is the pathway for food
going to the stomach

A 25 cm-long tube that

runs from the end of the
pharynx down to the
stomach.
EPIGLOTTIS
Automatically shuts
the entrance to the
larynx to prevent
food from entering
the respiratory tract.
PERISTALSIS
An involuntary muscle
that produces a series
of wavelike muscular
contractions that
propels the bolus
down to the stomach.
 Glands lining the inner surface of the esophagus
secrete mucus, a slimy substance that lubricates the
passage of the bolus.
 At the upper portion of the esophagus is the upper
esophageal sphincter, a valve that prevents air from
entering the esophagus and prevents the backflow of
the bolus into the pharynx.
STOMACH
A 30 cm-long, J-
shaped and
expandable organ
that receives the
bolus from the
esophagus.
 The folds in the
stomach are called
rugae (sing. ruga)
which increase the
surface area of the
stomach to
accommodate more
boluses.
 A muscular ring
called the lower
esophageal
sphincter acts as a
valve that prevents
the backflow of
bolus and gastric
juice.
 The lining of the inner surface of the stomach has
glands that secrete gastric juice, which aids in digestion.

Gastric juice is composed of hydrochloric acid and the

digestive enzymes pepsin and lipase.
Hydrochloric acid is highly acidic, with a pH between 1
to 2. It softens fibrous foods and kills most
microorganisms in the stomach.
Digestive
System
SCIENCE 8
Pepsin breaks down proteins into simple peptides,
while Lipase partially breaks down fat molecules.
Stomach can accommodate 1 to 1.5 liters of boluses
and usually empties three to four hours after a meal.
When partially digested
boluses mix with gastric
juice, a semiliquid mass
with a pH between 2 to
4 called chyme is
formed and pushed
down through the
pylorus part of the
stomach, then into the
small intestine.
 SMALL
INTESTINE
About 7 m-long and 2.5 cm
wide. It is the longest part
of the digestive tract and is
segmented into three parts:

1. Duodenum
2. Jejunum
3. Ileum
When the chyme reaches the duodenum, it is chemically digested
further and neutralized with the aid of the chemical secretions
from the accessory digestive organs – liver, gallbladder, and
pancreas.
 Nutrients and water
extracted from the food
in the small intestine
partially pass through
the intestinal wall and
are diffused into the
cells, a process called
absorption.
 The length of the small intestine folds a presence of
tiny, fingerlike projections called villi in its lining.

At the center of each villi are tiny blood vessels called

capillaries, and a tiny lymph vessel called lacteal.
 These structures which
are part of the circulatory
system, transport the
absorbed carbohydrates,
proteins, lipids, and other
nutrients throughout the
body via the bloodstream
in a process called
assimilation.
 LARGE
INTESTINE
• Also known as the colon,
is shorter but wider than
the small intestine.
• It is about 2 m-long and 7
cm wide.
• The large intestine DOES
NOT digest food; it only
absorbs water and salts.
 Undigested foods,
such as most plant
fibers, move from the
small intestine to the
large intestine.
 Plant fibers remain undigested because the human
body DOES NOT produce the enzyme cellulase that
breaks down these fibers.
 Through peristalsis,
undigested food is
pushed through the
large intestine until it
reaches the rectum,
an expandable
storage chamber in
the large intestine.
From the rectum, the
undigested food, now
called feces, passes
through the anal
canal until it is
eliminated from the
body through the
anus in a process
called defecation.
The removal of
waste materials
from the body
is called
excretion.
 ACTIVITY
ESOPHAGUS PHARYNX

LARGE SMALL
INTESTINE INTESTINE

MOUTH STOMACH
Digestive
System
SCIENCE 8
 DIARRHEA
• It is a condition characterized by
having loose, watery stool
excretions and the need to
defecate more than three times a
day.

• It may be caused by consuming

food or water contaminated with
bacteria, intestinal disorders and
irritation of the colon.
GASTRIC ULCER
It is a disease characterized
by sores in the lining of the
stomach.
These sores are primarily
caused by the bacterium
Helicobacter pylori.

This causes pain and

discomfort in the stomach.
GASTRIC ULCER
PREVENTION
• Have meals on time
• Make sure to eat healthy food
• Do not contain probiotics (e.g. yogurt)
• Avoiding smoking and drinking alcohol
• Avoiding stressful activities
• Get enough sleep
CONSTIPATION
It is a condition
characterized by
having stool that is
difficult to pass,
leading to infrequent
bowel movements
CONSTIPATION
GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE
(GERD)
It is a disorder that occurs
when acid from the stomach
flows back to the esophagus.

Its most common symptom is

heartburn, which feels like a
burning pain in the lower
part of the chest.
 GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE (GERD)

PREVENTED BY MAINTAINING AN IDEAL

WEIGHT AND AVOIDING THE FOLLOWING:

1. Smoking
2. Eating a lot before bedtime
3. Eating spicy food
4. Drinking carbonated drinks
5. Acid fruit juices
GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE (GERD)
 MARASMUS
It is a form of severe
malnutrition
characterized by energy
deficiency and loss of fat
and muscle mass as a
result of insufficient
calorie intake.
KWASHIORKOR
It is another form of
severe malnutrition
caused by insufficient
protein intake.

This may lead to

abnormal fluid buildup in
the abdomen.
 ANOREXIA
NERVOSA
• The most well-known eating disorder.

• People with anorexia generally view

themselves as overweight, even if
they’re dangerously underweight.

• They tend to constantly monitor their

weight, avoid eating certain types of
foods, and severely restrict their calorie
intake.
 ANOREXIA NERVOSA
Anorexia is officially categorized into two subtypes — the
binge eating, and purging eating
 BULIMIA NERVOSA
• Tends to develop during
adolescence and early adulthood
and appears to be less common
among men than women.
• Frequently eat unusually large
amounts of food in a specific period
of time.
• Individuals with bulimia then
attempt to purge to compensate for
the calories consumed and to relieve
gut discomfort.
 PICA
• An eating disorder that
involves eating things
that are not considered
food and that do not
provide nutritional value.
• This disorder can develop
during infancy, childhood,
or adulthood.
 Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder
(ARFID)
• The term has replaced the term
“feeding disorder of infancy and
early childhood,” a diagnosis
previously reserved for children
under age 7.

• Individuals with this disorder

experience disturbed eating due to
either a lack of interest in eating or
a distaste for certain smells, tastes,
colors, textures, or temperatures.