Digestive System

The digestive system uses mechanical and chemical mechanisms to break down food into forms that the body's cell can use. The pathway of food through alimentary canal starts with the mouth through the pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anal canal. The mouth takes in food and the teeth assist in reducing its size through chewing the tongue mixes food and holds it between the teeth.The salivary glands produce saliva to assist in moistening and breaking down food. The pharynx is a long muscular tube extending form behind the nose to the esophagus  connecting to oral and nasal cavities, it also acts to push food into the esophagus. The soft palate rise, closing the opening between the nasal and oral cavities. The epiglottis covers the laryngeal opening  food is forced into the oropharynx by the tongue and the pharynx contract, pushing food to the esophagus. The esophagus is a muscular tube that pushes food toward the stomach through muscular contractions. At the end of esophagus is the cardiac sphincter, the entrance  to the stomach. The stomach receives foods, mixes it with gastric juices to start protein digestion, and moves food into the small intestine. The stomach has for regions: cardiac region, funds, body, and pylorus. The small intestine carries out most of the nutrient absorption. The sections of the small intestine are in order, duodenum, jujunum, and ileum. They secretes peptiases to digest protein; sucrase, maltase, and lactase to digest sugars; and intestinal lipase to digest fats. The components of the large intestine are the cecum with its vermiform appendix, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon, rectum, and anal canal, ending in the anus. The large intestine's primary's job is to get rid of the body's solid waste by defecation. The liver stores vitamins and iron and produces macrophages to flight infections. the gallbladder stores the bile produce by the the liver. The pancreas produces pancreatic juices that assist in carbohydrate, lipid, and protein digestion. Nutrients absorbed by the body include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and water. Most of the absorption takes place in the small intestine.