The digestive system occupies a special place in the human body. It is with the help of it that food is digested, useful components are acquired that are necessary to maintain vital functions. The well-being of the whole organism depends on how well it works. What organs does the digestive system consist of and what are their functions? This is worth exploring in more detail.
Functions
In the human body, nature does not provide for anything superfluous. Each of its components has a certain responsibility. Well-coordinated work ensures the well-being of the body and maintains health.
The functions of the digestive system are as follows:
- Motor-mechanical. It includes chopping, moving and making food.
- Secretory. The production of enzymes, saliva, digestive juices, bile, which are involved in digestion.
- Suction. The body absorbs proteins, carbohydrates and fats, minerals, water and vitamins.
The motor-mechanical function consists in muscle contraction and grinding of food, as well as its mixing and movement. Secretory work consists in the production of digestive juices by the glandular cells. Thanks to the suction function, nutrients are delivered to the lymph and blood.
Structure
What structure does the human digestive system have? Its structure is aimed at processing and moving beneficial components that enter the body from the outside, as well as the removal of unnecessary substances into the environment. The walls of the digestive system consist of four layers. Inside they are lined with mucous membranes. It moisturizes the walls of the canal and facilitates easier passage of food. Underneath is the submucosa. Thanks to its many folds, the surface of the digestive canal becomes larger. The submucous membrane is penetrated by the nerve plexuses, lymphatic and blood vessels. The remaining two layers are the outer and inner muscle shells.
The digestive system consists of the following organs:
- oral cavity:
- esophagus and pharynx;
- stomach;
- colon;
- small intestine;
- digestive glands.
To understand their work, you need to dwell on each in more detail.
Oral cavity
At the first stage, food enters the mouth where it is processed first. The teeth perform the grinding function, the tongue, thanks to the taste buds located on it, evaluates the quality of the incoming products. Then the salivary glands begin to produce special enzymes for wetting and primary breakdown of food. After treatment in the oral cavity, it enters further into the internal organs, the digestive system continues its work.
The muscles that take part in the chewing process can also be attributed to this department.
Esophagus and pharynx
Food enters the funnel-shaped cavity, which consists of muscle fibers. It is this structure that the pharynx has. With it, a person swallows food, after which it moves along the esophagus, and then enters the main organs of the human digestive system.
Stomach
In this body, mixing and splitting of food occurs. The stomach in appearance is a muscle bag. Inside it is hollow, the volume is up to 2 liters.
Its inner surface contains many glands, due to which the production of juice and hydrochloric acid is necessary for the digestion process. They break down the components of food and contribute to their further advancement.
Small intestine
What organs does the digestive system consist of other than the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus and stomach? Bypassing them, food enters the duodenum - the initial part of the small intestine. Food under the influence of bile and special juices is split, and then passes into the following sections of the small intestine - skinny and ileum.
Here the substances are completely broken down, and the absorption of trace elements, vitamins and other beneficial components into the blood occurs. Its length is approximately six meters. The small intestine filled the abdominal cavity. The absorption process occurs under the influence of special villi, which cover the mucous membrane. Thanks to a special valve, a so-called flap is formed, which stops the reverse movement of feces.
Colon
The human digestive system is very important in the body. What organs it consists of, you need to know to understand its functions. Answering this question, it is worth pointing out another, no less important department, in which the digestion process is completed. This is the large intestine. It is in it that all undigested food remains fall. Here, water is absorbed and feces formed, the final breakdown of proteins and the microbiological synthesis of vitamins (in particular groups B and K).
The structure of the large intestine
The length of the organ is approximately one and a half meters. It consists of the following departments:
- cecum (there is a vermiform appendix);
- colon (it, in turn, includes the ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid;
- rectum (it consists of an ampoule and anus).
The large intestine ends with an anus through which processed food is removed from the body.
Digestive glands
What organs does the digestive system consist of? Great responsibility lies with the liver, pancreas, and gall bladder. Without them, the digestion process, in principle, as without other organs, would be impossible.
The liver contributes to the production of an important component - bile. The main function of bile is emulsification of fats. The organ is located under the diaphragm, on the right side. The task of the liver is to delay harmful substances, which helps to avoid poisoning the body. Thus, it is a kind of filter, therefore it often suffers due to the large accumulation of toxins.
The gall bladder is a reservoir for bile produced by the liver.
The pancreas secretes special enzymes that can break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is known that it is capable of forming up to 1.5 liters of juice per day. The pancreas also produces insulin (a hormone of peptide nature). It affects metabolism in almost all tissues.
Among the digestive glands, salivary glands located in the oral cavity should also be noted; they secrete substances for softening food and its primary breakdown.
What threatens disruptions in the digestive system?
The clear, well-coordinated work of the organs ensures the proper functioning of the whole organism. But digestive disorders, unfortunately, are not uncommon. This threatens the appearance of various diseases, among which the leading place is occupied by gastritis, esophagitis, ulcers, dysbiosis, bowel obstruction, poisoning, and so on. In the event of such ailments, it is necessary to start treatment in a timely manner, otherwise, as a result of delays in the supply of nutrients to the blood, the work of other organs may be disrupted. You should not use alternative methods without consulting a doctor. Alternative medicine is used only in combination with medications and under the supervision of a medical professional.
To understand the whole principle of functioning, you need to know what organs the digestive system consists of. This will help to deal more deeply with the problem when it appears and find a way to solve it. The presented scheme is simple, only the main points are affected. In fact, the human digestive system is much more complicated.