click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Human Body Final
all body systems
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Digestive system functions | 1) Breaks down food into molecules the body can use to make energy 2) Molecules are absorbed into the blood and carried throughout the body 3) Wastes are eliminated from the body |
digestion | process by which your body breaks down food into smaller nutrient molecules |
absorption | process by which nutrient molecules are absorbed through the walls of the digestive system into the blood stream |
mouth | where mechanical (teeth) and chemical (enzymes) digestion begins |
salivary gland | produces saliva; fluid used to moisten food and contains enzymes (proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body) that turn starch into sugar |
epiglottis | a flap of tissue that seals off your wind pipe preventing food from entering |
esophagus | peristalsis: wave like contractions that push down food |
stomach | accepts food from the esophagus; stomach muscles churn food (mechanical digestion) while the enzyme pepsin, breaks down proteins (chemical digestion |
pancreas | triangular organ that lives between the stomach and upper small intestine; produces enzymes that go into the small intestine to break down starches, proteins, and fat |
liver | produces bile which breaks down fat particles *bile is sent to gallbladder |
gallbladder | stores bile; bile flows from the gallbladder into the small intestine |
small intestine | almost all chemical digestion and absorption of nutrients takes place here |
large intestine | water is absorbed into the blood stream and remaining material is readied for elimination (as feces) |
rectum | a short tube at the end of the large intestine where waste material is compressed into solid form. this waste material is eliminated from the body through the anus, a muscular opening at the end of the rectum |