Human digestive system

In the human digestive system, the process of digestion has many stages, the first of which starts in the mouth (oral cavity). Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller components which can be absorbed and assimilated into the body. The secretion of saliva helps to produce a bolus which can be swallowed in the oesophagus to pass down into the stomach. Saliva also contains a catalytic enzyme called amylase which starts to act on food in the mouth. Digestion is helped by the mastication of food by the teeth and also by the muscular contractions of peristalsis. Gastric juice in the stomach is essential for the continuation of digestion as is the production of mucus in the stomach. Peristalsis is the rhythmic contraction of muscles that starts along the wall of the stomach. This initially results in the production of chyme which when fully broken down in the small intestine is absorbed into theblood. Most of the digestion of food takes place in the small intestine. Water and some minerals are reabsorbed back into the blood, in the colon of the large intestine. The waste products of digestion are defecated from the anus via the rectum.
Digestive system Digestive system 17th century Persia
Latin
Systema digestorium

Components of the digestive system[edit]

Digestive system
There are several organs and other components involved in the digestion of food and the largest structure of the digestive system is the gastrointestinal tract (GI). This starts at the mouth and ends at the anus, covering a distance of about nine metres.[1] The largest component of the GI tract is the colon. Other components include the mouth, teeth and epiglottis, and the accessory digestive glands, the (liver, gall bladder and pancreas), parts are lined with adventitia.
Innervation[edit]

Dietary life rules
The enteric nervous