Rebecca K. Fraker

1
The Human Digestive System

• By
• Rebecca K. Fraker

2
The Digestive System
What has happened to the food you ate today?

• Esophagus
• Stomach
• Small Intestine
• Large Intestine
• Liver
• Gall Bladder
• Pancreas

3
In the Mouth

• Digestion actually begins in the mouth.
• The teeth break the food into smaller pieces, and
  the tongue moves the pieces around so that saliva
  can be mixed with them.
• This begins the digestion.
• Then swallow, and the journey begins!

4
Esophagus

• About 10 long
• Moves food from the throat to the stomach.
• The muscle movement is called peristalsis.
• Heartburn is when acid from the stomach gets in
  here.

5
Stomach

• Stores the food you eat, breaks it down into tiny
  pieces.
• Mixes food with digestive juices.
• Acid in the stomach kills bacteria.
• It can stretch and shrink.

6
Small Intestine

• Small intestines are roughly 22 feet long.
  Small refers to its diameter, not its length.
• Insides are coated with little fingers called
  cilia to increase surface area.
• Nutrients from the food pass into the bloodstream
  through the small intestine walls.
• You can have pieces removed but it is very hard
  for your body to get the right nutrients.

7
Large Intestine

• About 5 feet long.
• Accepts what small intestines dont absorb.
• Absorbs water and minerals from the waste matter.
• You can lose a large part of this and still
  survive.

8
Liver

• Directly affects digestion by producing bile.
• Bile helps digest fat.
• Processes nutrients in the blood, filters out
  toxins and waste.
• Is often called the bodys energy factory.
• You cannot live without a liver, although you can
  live with a part of one.
• Drinking alcohol damages the liver.

9
Gall Bladder

• Stores bile from the liver.
• Delivers bile when food is digested.
• Fatty diets can cause gallstones.
• You can live without a gallbladder.

10
Pancreas

• Produces compounds to digest fats and proteins.
• Neutralizes acids that enter small intestine.
• Regulates blood sugar by producing insulin.
• If it doesnt work right you get diabetes.

11
Fun Facts

• HOW LONG ARE YOUR INTESTINES? At least 25 feet
  in an adult. Be glad you're not a full-grown
  horse -- their coiled-up intestines are 89 feet
  long!
• Food drying up and hanging out in the large
  intestine can last 18 hours to 2 days!
• In your lifetime, your digestive system may
  handle about 50 tons!!

12
OK, now it's...
QUIZ TIME!
13
On a sheet of paper, write the name of each
colored organ

• Green
• Red
• Pink
• Brown
• Purple
• Green
• Yellow

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Did you get the answers right?

• Green Esophagus
• Red Stomach
• Pink Small Intestine
• Brown Large Intestine
• Purple Liver
• Green Gall Bladder
• Yellow Pancreas

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References and Links

• Your Digestive System and How It Works
• http//digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pu
  bs/yrdd/Your_Digestive_Sys.pdf
• Digestive system diagram comes from this site
• The Real Deal on the Digestive System
• http//kidshealth.org/kid/body/digest_SW_p2.h
  tml
• Pancreas Introduction and Index
  http//www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/dige
  stion/pancreas/index.html
• Your Gross and Cool Body Digestive System
  http//yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/pg000126.htm
  l