The hollow organs that make up the GI tract are the mouth, esophagus , stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus. The liver, pancreas, and gallbladder are the solid organs of the digestive system. The small intestine has three parts. The first part is called the duodenum. The jejunum is in the middle and the ileum is at the end. The large intestine includes the appendix , cecum, colon , and rectum. The appendix is a finger-shaped pouch attached to the cecum.
The cecum is the first part of the large intestine. The colon is next. The rectum is the end of the large intestine. Bacteria in your GI tract, also called gut flora or microbiome, help with digestion. Parts of your nervous and circulatory systems also help. Working together, nerves, hormones , bacteria, blood, and the organs of your digestive system digest the foods and liquids you eat or drink each day. Digestion is important because your body needs nutrients from food and drink to work properly and stay healthy.
Proteins , fats , carbohydrates , vitamins , minerals , and water are nutrients. Your digestive system breaks nutrients into parts small enough for your body to absorb and use for energy, growth, and cell repair. MyPlate offers ideas and tips to help you meet your individual health needs. Each part of your digestive system helps to move food and liquid through your GI tract, break food and liquid into smaller parts, or both. Once foods are broken into small enough parts, your body can absorb and move the nutrients to where they are needed.
Your large intestine absorbs water, and the waste products of digestion become stool. Nerves and hormones help control the digestive process. Food moves through your GI tract by a process called peristalsis.
The large, hollow organs of your GI tract contain a layer of muscle that enables their walls to move. The movement pushes food and liquid through your GI tract and mixes the contents within each organ. The muscle behind the food contracts and squeezes the food forward, while the muscle in front of the food relaxes to allow the food to move. We all have those foods that we love eating together: peanut butter and jelly, watermelon and feta, yogurt and berries.
But it turns out there may be a reason to combine certain foods in one sitting beyond simply the taste. How you combine foods can majorly impact the benefit you get from them: increasing the absorption of important nutrients and boosting the effectiveness of antioxidants.
See which surprising food combos nutritionists recommend the most. To best absorb non-heme iron, aka plant-based iron, you need to give it a little boost by pairing it with a source of vitamin C. The vitamin C helps break the iron down into a form that the body can more easily absorb. Add a squeeze of lemon or orange juice to a spinach salad , or toss diced apples into a lentil dish.
Each villus is connected to a mesh of capillaries. This is how nutrients pass into the bloodstream. The pancreas is one of the largest glands in the human body. As well as digestive juices, it secretes a hormone called insulin. Insulin helps to regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. Diabetes is a condition caused by problems with insulin production. Once all the nutrients have been absorbed, the waste is moved into the large intestine, or bowel.
Water is removed and the waste faeces is stored in the rectum. It can then be passed out of the body through the anus.
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. The type of pain felt in the abdomen can vary greatly. Children may feel stomach pain for a range of reasons and may need treatment. Being young and fit doesn't reduce your risk of altitude sickness. Around half of cases of anal fissures heal by themselves with proper self-care and avoidance of constipation.
Anyone of any age can be struck by appendicitis, but it seems to be more common during childhood and adolescence. Sign Up. Support science journalism. Knowledge awaits. See Subscription Options Already a subscriber? Create Account See Subscription Options. Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription.
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