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The human digestive system

The human digestive system or gastrointestinal system is complex. The digestive tract (also referred to as alimentary canal) consists of digestive organs that take in food, processes it (digests) to get the required nutrients for the body and expels the remaining waste material.

Do we need to know the digestive system to digest food?

We don't really need to know and understand how the digestive system works, unless you are studying to be a doctor. Even a new born baby digests it's food. The whole digesting process happens without much interference from us. So we tend to take it for granted. It is when things start going wrong that we want to know the 'how' and 'why' about our body in general and digestion in particular.

It is when we start having digestive problems such as acid indigestion, heartburn, constipation, stomach bloating, stomach gas, flatulence etc., we want to know how and why and where things are wrong. And if we can set them right.

What is the digestive system?

The digestive system is a set of organs that help in

  1. Ingestion
  2. Digestion
  3. Absorption
  4. Elimination(defecation)


Human Digestive System Diagram

human digestive system diagram

Image from wikimedia

We eat different kinds of foods, such as grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, juices etc everyday. Our body can not use them as nourishment in the form we eat, it can not be absorbed in the blood.

The foods have to be changed into nutrients that can be absorbed in our blood. After digestion, these nutrients are sent to different parts of the body.

Digestion of different foods is the process in which the food is mixed with the digestive juices and food is changed in the way the body can absorb it to get energy.

The digestive system starts at the mouth and ends at the anus. The digestive disorder can affect any of the digestive organs. A person may experience digestive system diseases if any function of the system has problem. The overall digestive health of a person depends on how the digestive system works.

The parts of the digestive system - digestive organs

  • Mouth Mouth takes in the food and the digestion process starts immediately. The mouth has teeth, tongue and salivary glands. These help in chewing, turning the food in the mouth. Saliva keeps the food wet and starts the digestion process for carbohydrates.
  • Esophagus - Food Pipe - also referred to as oesophagus or food pipe Esophagus is the food pipe or the gullet. When the food is swallowed from the mouth, it goes down through the esophagus to the stomach. Esophagus is the tube that connects mouth to the stomach.
  • Stomach Stomach is a container that receives the food from the esophagus and continues with the digestion. After that the stomach contents are sent to the small intestine.
  • Small intestine When the food is received by the small intestine, the food content is semi solid. The small intestine continues the digestion by mixing them well with the digestive juices, which makes the food liquid. It also helps absorb some nutrients in the blood stream. After that, food is sent to the large intestine, also known as colon.
  • Large intestine - Colon Large intestine is a very special digestive organ which is also known as colon. It deals with the waste remaining after the food digestion. It removes the excess water and forms a stool. When the colon functions well, the bowel movement is easy.
  • Rectum - Rectum holds the stool until the evacuation happens.
  • Anus - Anus is the lower end, last part of the digestive tract through which the elimination happens.
  • Pancreas, Liver, Gall bladder are the accessory digestive organs.

    • The digestive disorders can start because of many reasons.

    Go to Functions of the digestive system to know more about each organ's function in the digestive process.

    Related Pages to visit:

    Digestive Diseases

    Digestive system Organs

    - Digestion In Mouth

    - Esophagus - Food Pipe - Swallowing Tube

    - Pharynx

    Functions of the digestive system

    Heartburn Causes

    Yoga for digestion







    Go To Heartburn Cures Homepage from Human digestive system

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