BASIC

DIGESTIVE SYSYTEM HEALTH

CARE

REPORTER: REBECCA RABE-GALANO

 OBJECTIVES
Be able to name the organs that make up
the digestive system.
Identify the various parts of the digestive
system.
Identify the major function of the various
parts of the digestive system.
Understand the value of care of the human
body and its organs.
What is Digestive System?

Is made up of the
gastrointestinal tract—also
called the GI tract or digestive
tract—and the liver, pancreas,
and gallbladder.
What is Digestive System?

The GI tract is a series of

hollow organs joined in a long,
twisting tube from the mouth
to the anus.
What is Digestive System?
 The hollow organs that make up
the GI tract are the mouth, 
esophagus, stomach, small
intestine, large intestine, and
anus. The liver, pancreas, and
gallbladder are the solid organs
of the digestive system.
 How is the digestive process
controlled?

1. HORMONE REGULATORS
2. NERVE REGULATORS
• Extrinsic, or outside, nerves connect the digestive
organs to the brain and spinal cord.
• The intrinsic, or inside, nerves within the GI tract are
triggered when food stretches the walls of the hollow
organs.
 Why is digestion important?

Your digestive system breaks nutrients into parts small enough for
your body to absorb and use for energy, growth, and cell repair.
 Proteins break into amino acids
 Fats break into fatty acids and glycerol
 Carbohydrates break into simple sugar.
 How does food move through in the
GI tract?
• Food moves through your GI tract by a process called
peristalsis.
• The large, hollow organs of your GI tract contain a layer
of muscle that enables their walls to move.
• The movement pushes food and liquid through your GI
tract and mixes the contents within each organ.
• The muscle behind the food contracts and squeezes the
food forward, while the muscle in front of the food
relaxes to allow the food to move.
• The digestive process starts when you put food in your
ORGANS AND FUNCTIONS
MOUTH
• Teeth mechanically break down food
into small pieces.
• Tongue mixes food with saliva (contains
amylase, which helps break down starch).
• Epiglottis: flap-like structure at the back
of the throat.
• Closes over the trachea preventing food
from entering it. It is located in the
Pharynx.
THROAT/PHARYNX

• Lubricates food and

passageways
• From here, food travels to
the esophagus or swallowing
tube.
• Peristalsis starts here.
ESOPHAGUS

•Approximately 20 cm long.
• Functions include:
Secreting mucus and moving
food from the throat to the
stomach using muscle
movement called peristalsis
STOMACH
• J-shaped muscular bag that stores
the food and breaks it down into tiny
pieces.
• Mixes food with gastric juices that
contain enzymes to break down
proteins and lipids.
• Hydrochloric acid in the stomach
kills bacteria.
• Food found in the stomach is
called chyme. ( acidic “Soup”)
SMALL INTESTINE
• Small intestines are roughly 7
meters long
• Villi are small finger-like
projections located in the
walls of the small intestine.
Their function is to increase
the surface area in order to
maximize the absorption of
digested food.
 SMALL INTESTINE
 The small intestine is where most chemical digestion in the human
body takes place.
 Most of the digestive enzymes in the small intestine are secreted by
the pancreas and enter the small intestine via the pancreatic duct.
 The three major classes of nutrients that undergo digestion are
proteins, lipids (fats), and carbohydrates.
 digestive enzymes: Enzymes that break down polymeric
macromolecules into their smaller building blocks to facilitate their
absorption by the body.
 SMALL INTESTINE
•Nutrients from the food pass into the bloodstream through the walls of the
small intestine.
•Absorbs:
 80% ingested water
Vitamins
Minerals
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Lipids
 LARGE INTESTINE

•About 1.5 meters long

•Absorbs nutrients left behind
by the small intestines.
• The end of the large
intestine is the rectum. (short
term storage which holds
feces before it is expelled).
 LARGE INTESTINE

Functions:
• Bacterial digestion and
fermentation of carbohydrates

• Absorbs additional water

• Concentrates wastes
 RECTUM

• 8-inch chamber that connects

the colon to the anus.
• Receive stool from the colon
• The brain then decides if the
rectal contents can be
released or not.
 ANUS

• The last part of the digestive tract.

• It is a 2-inch long canal
• Surrounded by sphincter muscles
that are important in allowing
control of stool.
• external sphincter to hold the stool
until reaching a toilet, where it then
relaxes to release the contents.
 Accessory Organs- The Glands

•Not part of the path of

ingested food, but play a
critical role in digestion.

•Includes: Liver, gall

bladder, and pancreas
 LIVER
Click icon to add picture
•Directly affects
digestion by producing
bile
•Bile aids in the
digestion of fat
• Filters out toxins and
waste including drugs,
alcohol and poisons.
 Gall Bladder

• Stores bile from the

liver, releases it into
the small intestine.

• Fatty diets can

cause the formation
of gallstones
 Pancreas
• Produces digestive
enzymes to digest
fats, carbohydrates
and proteins
•Regulates blood sugar
by producing insulin
 APPENDIX
 At the junction of the small intestine
and large intestine.
 It’s a thin tube about four inches long.
 In the lower right abdomen.
 The function is unknown.
……..acts as a storehouse for good
bacteria, “rebooting” the digestive
system after diarrheal illnesses.
…….appendix is just a useless remnant
from our evolutionary past.
 Common Gastrointestinal Problems

1. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

 Heartburn
 May cause chest pain
 How to control?
…lifestyle changes
…avoid food 2 hours before bed.
…prescription
…surgery
 Common Gastrointestinal Problems

2. Chronic Diarrhea
 Occasional urgency to go is normal-but loose stool.
 Three or more times a day
 Many causes
….Celiac disease-absorption of foods and gluten
….Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease. It causes irritation, inflammation,
and ulcers in the lining of your large intestine (also called your colon). There's no cure, and
people usually have symptoms off and on for life
….viral
…parasitic
 Common Gastrointestinal Problems

3. Chronic Constipation
 Having fewer than three bowel movements
a week for three weeks or longer
 Laxatives
 Common Gastrointestinal Problems

4. Gastroenteritis

 Stomach Flu
Fever, vomiting, diarrhea and
headaches
 Common Gastrointestinal Problems

5. Ulcers
A peptic ulcer is a sore on the lining of your
stomach, small intestine or esophagus.
A peptic ulcer in the stomach is called a
gastric ulcer.
A duodenal ulcer is a peptic ulcer that develops in
the first part of the small intestine (duodenum)
 Common Gastrointestinal Problems

6.Hemorrhoids
• Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in your lower rectum.
• Internal hemorrhoids are usually painless, but tend
to bleed. External hemorrhoids may cause pain. 
• Hemorrhoids (HEM-uh-roids), also called piles, are
swollen veins in your anus and lower rectum, similar
to varicose veins
HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE TRACT HEALTHY?

1. Eat fiber rich foods daily.

 HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE TRACT HEALTHY?

2. Choose whole grains more often.

A whole grain, also called a wholegrain, is a grain of any cereal and

pseudocereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to
refined grains, which retain only the endosperm.
Eating whole instead of refined grains substantially lowers total cholesterol, low-
density lipoprotein (LDL, or bad) cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin levels.
Replacing refined grains with whole grains and eating at least 2 servings of whole
grains daily may help to reduce type 2 diabetes risk.
HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE TRACT HEALTHY?

2. Choose whole grains more often.

 HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE TRACT HEALTHY?

3. Limit the amount of beef, pork, lamb, and processed meats you eat.
HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE TRACT HEALTHY?

4. Try the following cooking methods more frequently.

STEAMING
STEWING
POACHING

BRAISING

BOILING
HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE
TRACT HEALTHY?

5. Consume foods with

probiotics.

Probiotics-good bacteria
HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE TRACT HEALTHY?

6. Limit foods that have added sugars and animal fats.

 HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE TRACT HEALTHY?

7. Exercise regularly.
HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE TRACT HEALTHY?

8. Drink less alcohol and quit smoking.

 HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE TRACT HEALTHY?

9. Keep Hydrated

dissolve some
nutrients
encourages passage of
waste through the
digestive system
helps soften stools
 HOW TO KEEP DIGESTIVE TRACT HEALTHY?

10. Eat on Schedule

 Causes stress to the body. 

 Consuming your meals

and healthy snacks on a
regular schedule can help
keep your digestive system
in top shape.
 Facts About the Digestive System

https://www.healthline.com/health/fun-facts-about-
the-digestive-system

1. The average person produces 2 pints of saliva every day. That is 32 ounces, or 2 cans of soda.

2. The muscles in your esophagus act like a giant wave. That is what moves food or drinks down to
your stomach. This wave action is called peristalsis.

3. The second part of your small intestine is called the jejunum. That’s just fun to say!

4. Enzymes in your digestive system are what separate food into the different nutrients that your
body needs.

5. The gut-brain axis is the close bond that exists between the digestive system and your brain.
Emotions (including stress) and brain disorders affect how your body digests food.
 Facts About the Digestive System

https://www.healthline.com/health/fun-facts-about-
the-digestive-system

6. Your body can move your food through the digestive system even while you are standing on your
head. It is not connected to gravity because it works with muscles.

7. You know those laundry detergents you hear advertised that have enzymes to remove stains?
Some of those enzymes are the same as those found in your digestive system.

8. The small intestine is about 22-23 feet long while the large intestine is only about 5 feet long.

9. Ever wonder why it smells bad when you pass gas? It is because it is produced by fermented
bacteria and then mixed with air.

10. Platypuses do not have stomachs.

 Facts About the Digestive System

https://www.healthline.com/health/fun-facts-about-
the-digestive-system

11. Stomach growling is called borborygmic and happens all the time, but it is just
louder when your stomach is empty because there is no food to muffle it.
12. The stomach has the ability to stretch and hold up to 4 pounds of food at one
time.
13. Aerobic exercise is the best type of exercise to keep your digestive tract in
shape.
14. When you are first born, you don’t have any of the healthy bacteria your system
needs to digest food.
15. Gastro mechanical distress symptoms can be caused by only slightly more than
1 cup of a carbonated beverage.
 Facts About the Digestive System

https://www.healthline.com/health/fun-facts-about-
the-digestive-system

16. You burp to release extra air that you swallow if you eat
fast, drink carbonated drinks, or smoke.
17. Hiccups can be caused by a change in temperature that
happens suddenly.
18. The amount of saliva you produce increases when you
throw up to protect your teeth from the acid in your stomach
that will come up.
19. The longest attack of constant hiccups lasted 68 years.
 REFERENCES
1. https://
www.sharecare.com/health/eating-habits-nutrition/how-irregular-eating-affect
-health
2. https://
www.newspressnow.com/life/food/skipping-a-meal-has-consequences/article_
cb5ac4a1-3c43-5a14-84ae-7c71cc745aaa.html
3. https://
www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-ho
w-it-works
4. https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/your-digestive-
5. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7041-the-structure-and-function-of-t
he-digestive-system
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_digestive_system
7. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/anatomyvideos/000097.htm