Human Digestion

1.     CheckPoint: Human Digestion

·         Due Date: Day 5 [Individual] forum

·         Complete the Human Digestion activity located at http://corptrain.phoenix.edu/axia/sci241/sci241-digestivetract.html.

·         Describe, in 200 to 300 words, the path food follows through the digestive system and how digestion occurs in each of the following parts of the digestive system. 

·         Include descriptions of other organs or components of the digestive system, including:

o    Large intestine

o    Mouth

o    Small intestine

o    Stomach 

·         Post your response.

            The digestive system starts with food entering the Mouth.   Teeth and tongue then grind the food into bits while the salivary gland reduces it into a soupy mess called a bolus.  This process is generally quick and only takes a few minutes.  The bolus then enters the pharynx and onto the esophagus.  The esophagus stops at the stomach which contains acids that turn it into a semi-liquid mass called chime.  This process can take anywhere from two to six hours, depending on the size and texture of the food.  Food then enters the small intestine where bile from the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas breaks down the food further removing nutrients and vitamins.  The food travels through the three sections of the small intestine called; duodenum, jejunum, and ileum while nutrients and vitamins get absorbed. It generally takes three to five hours to travel the twenty feet through the small intestine.  The sphincter separates the small intestine from the large intestine.  The food goes through the sphincter into the large intestine where it continues its absorption of nutrients and vitamins.  Food then passes past the colon and exits the body through the anus.   The journey through the large intestine can take up to twenty-four hours.