Digestive System |
The digestive system is a group of organs that work together to digest food. It is made of muscle and connective tissue. There are two different kinds of digestion. The first one is mechanical which is the breaking, crushing, and mashing of food. The second is chemical which is where large molecules are broken down into nutrients. Nutrients are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats that are key for your body's health and energy. When you digest enzymes break down nutrients into smaller parts so the body can reuse them. There are many different organs that food goes through in the digestive system. First there is the mouth that by chewing breaks up food and enzymes start to break down chemically. Although food does not go through them, the salivary glands produce saliva and enzymes that break carbohydrates into sugars. It then travels to the Esophagus which is a long tube that helps transport food to your stomach. The stomach mechanically digests food and produces enzymes that chemically digest food until the food turns into a soupy mixture called chyme. After the stomach, the food goes into the small intestine where the chyme is mixed with different liquids and the villi absorb the nutrients into the bloodstream. Any thing that wasn't absorbed goes into your large intestine where minerals and water are absorbed and it eliminates things your body cannot digest. The waste is stored in the rectum until it is removes through the anus. There are three organs that food does not pass through but are still important for the digestive system. They are the liver, pancreas, and gall bladder. The liver makes bile to break down fat, store nutrients that aren't used right away, and break down harmful toxins into harmless chemicals. The gall bladder stores bile and transports it into the duodenum to digest fats. This process turns fat droplets into smaller fat droplets. The pancreas produces enzymes that break down food to regulate blood sugar. Overall, the digestion system helps you maintain homeostasis by breaking down nutrients so you have energy and can be at proper health.
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Heartburn Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease(GERD) is where the lining of the Esophagus and Stomach become irritated and inflamed. This is also called heart burn. This is caused by weakness of the valve between the Esophagus and Stomach which allows for stomach acid to reflux or move back up. This can cause chest pain to occur.
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