Digestive System

Research

What is the digestive system?

The digestive system is made up of the digestive tract (the gut) and
other organs like the liver, pancreas and gall bladder. It is where your
body breaks down food and absorbs nutrients. The digestive system is
a long, twisting tube that starts at the mouth and goes through the
oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and ends at the
anus.

The digestive system breaks down food into simple nutrients such as
carbohydrates, fats and proteins. These can then be absorbed into
your blood, so your body can use them for energy, growth and repair.
Anything that isn't used is waste, and leaves the body as faeces
(waste).

How does the digestive system work?

Each organ of your digestive system has an important role in digestion.

Mouth
When you eat, your teeth chew food into small pieces. Glands in your
cheeks and under your tongue make saliva that coats the food. This
makes it easier to chew and swallow. Saliva also contains enzymes
that start to digest the carbohydrates in food.

Oesophagus
Your oesophagus is a tube that carries food from the mouth to the
stomach, after it is swallowed. A ring of muscle at the end of the
oesophagus lets food into your stomach and stops stomach contents
from going back up to the oesophagus.

Stomach
Your stomach breaks down food with liquid (gastric acids) to help with
digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals.
Small intestine
The small intestine of an adult is around 5 metres long and made up of
many bends and folds. The large surface area helps proteins, fatty
acids, sugars, vitamins and minerals pass through its wall into the
blood. Most of the chemical digestion of proteins, fats and
carbohydrates, happens in the small intestine.

Large intestine, rectum and anus

Your large intestine absorbs water, minerals and vitamins.
Undigested fibre is mixed with mucus and bacteria, which breaks
down some of the fibre to keep the large intestine healthy. Faeces are
formed and stay in the last part of the large intestine (the rectum)
before leaving the body through the anus as a bowel movement.

What are digestive enzymes, and what do they do?

Naturally occurring digestive enzymes are proteins that your body makes to break down
food and aid digestion. Digestion is the process of using the nutrients found in food to
give your body energy, help it grow and perform vital functions.

“When you eat a meal or a snack, digestion begins in the mouth,” explains Denhard.
“Our saliva starts breaking down food right away into a form that can be absorbed by
the body. There are a lot of different points in the digestive process where enzymes are
released and activated.”

Your stomach, small intestine and pancreas all make digestive enzymes.
The pancreas is really the enzyme “powerhouse” of digestion. It produces the most
important digestive enzymes, which are those that break down carbohydrates, proteins
and fats.

Types of Digestive Enzymes

There are many digestive enzymes. The main digestive enzymes made in the pancreas
include:

 Amylase (made in the mouth and pancreas; breaks down complex carbohydrates)
 Lipase (made in the pancreas; breaks down fats)
 Protease (made in the pancreas; breaks down proteins)

Some other common enzymes are made in the small intestine, including:
 Lactase (breaks down lactose)
 Sucrase (breaks down sucrose)