Digestive System

Hello everyone! And once again, we are getting ready to go on a journey through the body. However, this time, we have been swallowed by a 55 year old male who has been eating a hamburger and French fries followed by a nice refreshing root beer. Everyone hold on tight! We are not exactly sure where this trip may land us at, but I am sure that it will be a fun filled adventure just like the last one!

We are where it all starts…the mouth. Here, the food is acted upon by saliva and enzymes like amylase. The digestion system is the part(s) of the body that takes in the nutrition and breaks it down so that it can be used by our body cells. Each of our body parts has a specific role in digestion with the use of food. Nutrition is able to be used when it is transported to the cells. The flow of the saliva is set in motion by the brain reflex that sets in when we smell food. Amylase then breaks down some of the carbohydrates in the food that is inside of the mouth. By the act of chewing, food is broken down into a small bolus. Get ready ladies and gentlemen, we are now going downward in this roller coaster! It appears that we are moving down into the throat (pharynx). This is a common pipe for air and food. If you will notice, it divides into two sections: the food pipe and the trachea along with the epiglottis separated them so that the food does not enter into the windpipe (trachea). We are now traveling down a very muscular tube in the chest. This is known as the oesophagus. This is the food pipe. There are several muscular contractions that are known as peristalsis. They propel the bolus of the food forward. At the lower end of the sphincter, there is an esophageal sphincter that is acting as the gateway that allows the food to enter into the stomach and then squeezes it shut to keep the fluids and food from flowing back into the esophagus. Here, the stomach acts like a mixer grinder where the food is being churned and mixed with acids and enzymes like pepsin that are...