Understand the functions of

the digestive system

2.08 Understand the functions of the
Digestive System
Essential questions
• What are the functions of the digestive system?
• How do the functions of chemical and physical
digestion interrelate?

2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of

2
the digestive system
Functions of the digestive system

2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of

3
the digestive system
 Functions of the digestive system
Mouth (buccal cavity)
• Food enters digestive system through mouth
• Inside of the mouth is covered with mucous membranes
• Roof of mouth is HARD PALATE (bone) and soft palate
• Uvula
– flap that hangs off soft palate
– prevents food from going up the nose
when you swallow
 Functions of the digestive system
Tongue
• Helps in chewing and
swallowing
• Made of skeletal muscle
attached to four bones
• Taste buds on the surface

2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of

5
the digestive system
 Functions of the digestive system
Teeth
– Mastication, a.k.a chewing
•teeth help in mechanical digestion
How is the tooth’s shape related to its function?
• Incisors - have sharp edges for biting
• Cuspids - flat top and are used for grinding
• Bicuspids - are pointed and like a nutcracker to grind food
• Molars - designed for crushing
2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of
6
the digestive system
 Functions of the digestive system

Salivary glands
• Secrete saliva
• Chemical action takes place as a result of saliva
– Amylase, mucin and ptyalin are enzymes
that start chemical breakdown of food
– Ptyalin converts starches into simple sugar 7
 Functions of the digestive system
•Palate
–Separates mouth and
sinuses

•Uvula
–Prevents food from
going into the nasal
cavity when swallowing
2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of
8
the digestive system
 Functions of the digestive system
Pharynx
– Passageway (tube) for food, liquids and air

2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of

9
the digestive system
 Functions of the digestive system
Esophagus
• Passageway for food and liquids only
• What is its relevance to your health?

2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of

10
the digestive system
 Functions of the digestive system
Stomach
Functions of the stomach:
• Chemical digestion occurs with
gastric (digestive juices)

• Mechanical digestion occurs with

stomach walls churning and mixing

• This mixture is called Chyme

 Functions of the digestive system
Stomach
How long does it take for
stomach to empty?
•Takes 2-4 hours
for stomach to empty

•Small amount of chyme enters

duodenum a little at a time which is controlled by the
pyloric sphincter
 Functions of the digestive system
Gastric juices (chemicals) used in digestion
– Enteroendocrine glands
– gastrin
– Parietal cells
– HCL and intrinsic factor
– Chief type cells
– pepsinogen
– Mucus cells
– alkaline mucus
– Rennin 13
 Functions of the digestive system
Small Intestine
• Digestion is completed and
absorption occurs.
• Addition of enzymes
– pancreas which
produces insulin
– bile produced by
liver/gallbladder
14
 Functions of the digestive system
Small Intestine Villi: Projections
that look like hair that add more surface
room and absorb the nutrients

15
 Functions of the digestive system
Small Intestine
Relevance to your health
Absorb most of the
nutrients

16
 Functions of the digestive system
Pancreas
Function of digestive enzymes
secreted by the pancreas?
•Lipase - breaks down lipids
•Amylase - breaks down starches
•Trypsin - breaks down proteins

17
 Functions of the digestive system
Pancreas
Which other system does the pancreas function?

Pancreas is a gland of the endocrine

system secreting insulin which
regulates the homeostasis of sugar
(glucose) in the blood.

18
 Functions of the digestive system
Liver
Functions:
• Produces and stores glucose in the
form of glycogen
• Detoxify alcohol, drugs and other
harmful substances
• Manufactures blood proteins
• Manufactures bile which breaks
down fats

19
 Functions of the digestive system
Liver
What is the function of
• Bile - breaks down fats
• Glycogen - easily broken down to
glucose for immediate use for the cells
What vitamin is produced by the liver?
• Vitamin D
• The liver stores Vitamin A, D and B complex
• All necessary for production of red blood cells

20
 Functions of the digestive system
Gallbladder
• Small green organ, inferior surface of
the liver
• Stores and concentrates bile until
needed by the body
• When fatty foods digested, bile is
released by the gallbladder
• Bile flows into small intestine at the duodenum
2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of
21
the digestive system
 Functions of the digestive system
• Large intestine
–Absorb liquids from Chyme,
concentrating to what you know as
stool
– Relevance to health: allows for
absorption of fluids and
micromolecules to aid in
homeostasis
– Type of diet promotes colon health: What is the semi-solid liquid
secreted
•High in fiber
from the ileum through the
ileoceccal valve
called that enters the large
intestine?
22
 Functions of the digestive system
• Large intestine
–Approximately 2 inches in diameter
–a.k.a. the colon
–Cecum - lower right portion of large intestine
–Appendix - flinger like projection of the cecum
–Rectum - last portion of large
intestine - where stool is stored
–Anus - external opening

23
 Functions of the digestive system
• What can healthcare professionals
learn from observing stool specimens?
–Blood
–Undigested food
–Mucous
–Strange color or shape
• On average, how much flatus
does a person produce per day?
1-3 pints / day pass through
rectum, bacteria produce the gas
 Functions of the digestive system
• Fecal transplant
– Allows the bacteria from
the healthy stool to
repopulate the gut of the
patient who has lost
healthy bacteria in their
gut
❑ Used to treat Clostridium
difficile that grows in
human intestines
■ Symptoms range from
persistent diarrhea to life-
threatening inflammation of
the colon to death

2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of

the digestive system 25
 Functions of the digestive system
• Discuss the processes of digestion and their
relevance to health.
– Chemical: mouth and stomach, limited in small intestine
– Physical: mouth and stomach
– Absorption of nutrients: small intestine
– Absorption of fluids: large intestine
– Elimination: large intestine
(rectum and anus)
2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of
26
the digestive system
 Act of Digestion
Each action of the digestive system… 6 actions
• Ingestion: the taking in of food or liquids
• saliva softens food to make it easier to swallow

–Ptyalin in saliva converts starches into simple sugar

–Under nervous control - just thinking of food can cause your
mouth to water

2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of

27
the digestive system
 Act of Digestion
Each action of the digestive system… 6 actions
• Mastication is the process of chewing up food
• creates a bolus which is a soft, pliable ball created from chewing and
and the addition of saliva which slides down esophagus

2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of

28
the digestive system
 Act of Digestion
Each action of the digestive system… 6 actions
• Digestion is the breaking down of food for the body’s use
–Gastric juices are released for chemical digestion

– Stomach walls churn and mix this mixture becomes chyme

– Small amount of chyme enters duodenum a little at a time which
is controlled by the pyloric sphincter
– Takes 2-4 hours for the stomach to empty
2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of
29
the digestive system
 Act of Digestion
Each action of the digestive system… 6 actions

• Secretion is digestive enzymes are secreted to break down

different types of food

• of enzymes secreted in liver, gallbladder and pancreas.
• These secretions aid in completing digestion

2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of

30
the digestive system
 Act of Digestion
Each action of the digestive system… 6 actions
• Absorption is taking in nutrients to feed the body

2.08 Understand the functions and disorders of

31
the digestive system
 Act of Digestion
Each action of the digestive system… 6 actions
• Excretion is to take things out of the body that are not usable
–occurs in large intestine.
–Bacterial action on undigested food - decomposed products
excreted through colon
–Bacterial form moderate amounts of B complex and vitamin K
–Bacteria produce gas which accumulates and is released
through rectum
–Feces are undigested semi-solid consisting of bacteria, waste
products, mucous and cellulose 32
Functions of the
digestive system
Check your
knowledge…

33