For humans to survive, they need nutrients from food. The complex process of digestion allows nutrients to enter the body and its cells.
Food contains all the nutrients the human body needs for good health, but large, complex compounds bind them together. During digestion, the body breaks these compounds down into smaller pieces. It allows it to penetrate the cells and provide energy and beneficial properties.
This article explains how your body digests food from the time it enters your mouth until it leaves your body. It also provides tips on healthy digestion and how to spot problems.
What is digestion?
The human digestive system, also known as the alimentary canal, is 9 meters long in adults.
These include the following trusted sources:
- Mouth or oral cavity
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- Belly
- small intestine
- Large intestine or colon
- the rectum
In addition, the lower organs support digestion, including chewing and adding enzymes and other secretions to help the body absorb nutrients.
- the teeth
- the tongue
- Salivary gland
- The liver
- Pancreas
- bile
Together, these organs provide mechanical processing, release of enzymes, and bile to break down compounds and remove waste products.
Terms describing these features:
- Swallowing includes chewing and swallowing
- Secretion of substances that allow food and nutrients to move efficiently through the body
- Muscles are the force that moves the contents of the canal forward
- Breakdown of food including digestion, mastication and excretion
- Absorption of nutrients occurs mainly in the small intestine
- Feces and urine, the discharge of waste products from the rectum and bladder respectively
- the mouth
- Digestion begins before food enters your mouth.
When a person smells or thinks about food or food, the salivary glands begin to produce saliva.
When food enters your mouth:
- Wet it with saliva.
- The teeth and tongue destroy it without being inside.
- An enzyme called salivary amylase in saliva breaks it down into starch.
When chewed and broken down by amylase, food is broken up into small round drops or boluses. This makes swallowing easier.
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After swallowing, the bolus enters the esophagus, where gravity and muscle contractions move the bolus into the stomach through a process called peristalsis.
Peristalsis is the slow contraction of smooth muscle along and around the digestive tract.
These contractions push the bolus toward the stomach as it travels down the esophagus.
Belly
The bolus enters the stomach through a ring-shaped muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter.
The following processes take place in the stomach:
- The stomach temporarily stores food.
- Gastric cells secrete gastric juice. They contain hydrochloric acid, which maintains the pH of the stomach in the range of 1.5 to 2.0.
- The stomach has three layers of muscles that move and mix its contents.
These processes turn the food into a thick paste called kim.
Hydrochloric acid required:
- Kills microorganisms such as bacteria
- Separation of plant protein and fiber
- Activation of pepsin, an enzyme that helps digest proteins
However, because acid can damage the lining of the stomach, some cells produce mucus to protect the lining from damage.
Intestine
The small intestine is about 20 feet (6 meters) long and absorbs 90% of the nutrients from food into the bloodstream.
It consists of three parts.
Duodenum: Receives chyme from stomach and digestive enzymes from liver and pancreas.
Jejunum: Most of the digestion and chemical absorption takes place here.
Ileum: There is an ileocecal valve, a sphincter that allows food to enter the large intestine.
When food is completely broken down, it absorbs nutrients that enter the bloodstream.
Villi are small finger-like projections that line the walls of the small intestine. Inside the villi are small capillaries called papillae. By increasing their surface area, whales increase nutrient absorption.
Colon
All unabsorbed food and nutrients now pass through the large intestine or colon. The subject is now ripe.
Large intestine is 2 m long and consists of:
- Cecum, the pouch through which food enters the small intestine
- Colin is a climber
- Metastatic colon
- Pull down
- Sigmoid colon
In the large intestine, the body absorbs water and electrolytes.
Food moves slowly through your intestines, allowing your body to absorb water, while the trillions of gut bacteria break down undigested food.
Peristalsis then moves the stool into the anus.
Anas
As digested food moves through the anus, nerves in the wall of the anus, called ureteric receptors, sense that the bowel is full and stimulate the urge to defecate.
Abstinence involves two types of muscle movement.
The first happens automatically and cannot be controlled. Relax the smooth muscle of the internal rectal circulation.
The second control is the conscious relaxation of the skeletal muscles in the external anal sphincter. If one wants to delay the mutation, muscle relaxation can be avoided to bring the glands back into the intestine.
As long as stool remains in the intestine, the body absorbs water. It can cause dry, hard stools, constipation and constipation. For this reason, one should remove it as soon as possible.
You should see your doctor if you have not had a bowel movement for 3 days or if you have stomach or back pain or bleeding.
Tips for healthy digestion
There are several ways to keep your digestion healthy.
- Drink a lot of water
- Eat a balanced diet rich in fruit, vegetables, fiber and whole foods.
- If possible, avoid using the bathroom.
- Practice regularly
- Follow food hygiene rules such as washing hands before eating and cooking meat, eggs and fish thoroughly.
Get medical attention if a person’s digestive or bowel habits change.
When talking to a doctor
Go see your doctor if you experience any of the symptoms:
- Persistent or persistent constipation, gas, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Severe pain in any part of the digestive system
- Persistent or severe reflux or heartburn
- unexplained changes in weight or appetite
- Blood in the stomach
- Congo blood
- Difficulty swallowing or feeling food stuck in your throat
- Change in bowel habits
Index
The digestive system moves food throughout the body, breaking it down so that nutrients can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Cells can then use the nutrients for energy, tissue growth and repair, and other purposes.
Digestion involves many organs and systems, a series of chemicals, peristalsis, and automatic muscle movements that move food to the next level.
Anyone who notices a change in normal digestive function should see a doctor, as it may indicate a medical condition that needs treatment.