Digestive System

Introduction: Now we are on to the part that every one of us uses on a daily basis, our digestive systems! This section will address different parts, mechanical and chemical digestion, and a brief touch on Diabetes.

Parts

Here is a diagram of the digestive system from http://www.medicalook.com. This diagram shows every part in great detail. A brief overview of digestion would be something like this:

First a person takes a bite of food and chews it up. As they are chewing, saliva is secreted from the various glands shown at the top. The food, once mixed with saliva, is then called a bolus. It is then swallowed. It is pushed down the esophagus by means of peristalsis. Peristalsis is the squeezing movement of the esophagus that is so strong, one can drink water standing on their head. It then passes through the esophageal sphincter in the stomach. The top part of the stomach is called the fundus, the middle part is the body, and the last part is the pylorus. While in the stomach, secretions happen that are enzymes to break down the food. The bolus then is called chyme. The chyme move through the pyloric sphincter into the duodenum, or first part of the intestine. More enzymes and bile are secreted to further break down the chyme. Also, in the small intestine, nutrients and other such things are being absorbed at this time. It goes further through, passing through the jejunum and ileum, finally reaching the large intestine. It continues to move through, the rest of what can be absorbed is and the rest is secreted.

Mechanical Digestion

Mechanical digestion is anything that does NOT have to do with chemicals. These processes are basically chewing the food. This image, from http://images.encarta.msn.com shows mechanical digestion, but once the glands secrete anything, it becomes chemical digestion.

Chemical Digestion

As mentioned before, chemical digestion is where any chemical actions are taking place. Such as salvation breaking down food, gastric juices in the stomach, and any of the secretions from the pancreas and other organs that involve enzymes or food break down is chemical digestion. Unfortunately, I did not find an images that really brought to light what chemical digestion is.

Diabetes

Lastly, let's take a brief look at Diabetes. Heredity and Obesity are the two leading causes of Type II diabetes. Type II is the most common and it is an insulin resistance problem. The pancreas is making and releasing insulin, but the body is either not using it or it is ineffective.

Here is a picture from http://www.dva.gov.au depicting some of the problems Diabetes may cause. Diabetes is a huge epidemic in the world and is only increasing. A lot of what comes into play is a person's personal habits, such as eating healthy, taking in less calories and exercising more.

A great database to learn more about diabetes is at http://www.diabetes.org.

Conclusion: That brings this section to a close. We took a look at the digestive process, the different types of digestion, and a brief look at diabetes. Next up is basic nutrition.