What is the digestive system?
Humans and animals must digest the food they eat in order to utilize it. The digestive system takes care of this. There, the ingested food is gradually broken down and digested enzymatically. The required nutrients are absorbed into the blood, and the unusable components are excreted.
Digestive tract
Digestive secretions
Glands that secrete secretions important for digestion enter the digestive system: the salivary glands in the mouth, the pancreas and the liver or gallbladder in the small intestine. The epithelium lining the gastrointestinal tract also contains small glands that secrete digestive secretions.
What is the function of the digestive system?
In addition, the organism retrieves via the digestive system all those substances that are constantly lost (via urine, stool and sweat): Water, sodium, calcium and many other substances.
Breakdown of food components
Instead, the food must first be mechanically broken down in the digestive system (mouth and teeth) and then chemically digested (stomach and small intestine). The nutrients released in the process are absorbed (small intestine), and anything that cannot be utilized is excreted (large intestine).
Each individual part of the digestive system is involved in this complex task of food utilization in a specific way:
Digestion
You can read about how exactly the body utilizes ingested food in the article Digestion.
Where is the digestive system located?
The digestive system begins in the mouth and ends at the anus. The mouth and throat are located in the head, and the esophagus passes down through the neck into the stomach, which is located in the upper abdomen. The liver and gallbladder are also located in the upper abdomen (right).
