Working of Human Digestive System


For the nutrition human beings have separate dedicated digestive system. Human digestive system is a complex system consisting of Alimentary Canal and Digestive Glands. Alimentary canal is long, tube like structure extending from mouth to Anus. Digestive glands include Salivary glands, liver, the Pancreas and Gastric glands.

Mouth

In mouth complex food material is broken down into small pieces with the help of teeth. Saliva secreted by Salivary gland wet the food so that it can pass through alimentary canal. Saliva also contain Enzyme called Salivary Amylase that breaks down starch into simple Sugar called Maltose. And so truly speaking the digestion in human digestive system takes place right from the mouth.

Stomach

From mouth the food passes through the tube like structure called esophagus by rhythmic contraction and relaxation of muscles of alimentary canal. The rhythmic Contraction and Relaxation of muscles of the canal are called Peristalsis. It helps the Food to Move Forward. The food enters in ‘J’ shaped organ in the left side of abdomen called stomach. Stomach receives three juices namely Hydrochloric Acid , Enzyme Pepsin and Mucus from the gastric glands. These are present in walls of the stomach. Hydrochloric Acid provides acidic medium for the digestion of proteins by enzyme pepsin. mucus helps to protect the inner lining of stomach from the acid. The movements of the wall of stomach churn the food and help in mixing the gastric juice in food. Sphincter Muscle present at the end of stomach regulates the passage of food into small intestine.

Small Intestine

  • Small intestine is a long, coil like structure placed compactly in the belly. Its average length is about 5 to 6 Meter. With such a long length it forms the longest part of human digestive system. Digestion of carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins takes place in small intestine.


  • It receive secretions from Liver, Pancreas and its own walls. Liver the largest gland of human body secretes bile juice which is stored in gallbladder. Gallbladder secretes bile juice into small intestine which creates alkaline medium in the small intestine. The bile juice also breaks large fat molecules into smaller ones so that enzymes will act easily on them.
  • The Pancreatic Juice consists of enzymes named trypsin, Lipase, and Pancreatic Amylase. Trypsin Digests Proteins, lipase Breakdown Fats and pancreatic amylase Digests Carbohydrates. Bile juice and pancreatic juice enters small intestine through common duct. Wall of intestine secretes Intestinal juice which converts proteins into Amino Acids, complex Carbohydrates to Glucose, and Fats into Fatty Acids.
  • Walls of small intestine have large number of finger like projections called Villi. Villi absorbs the food. It is then carried to other parts of the body by blood. Unused glucose is stored as Glycogen in the liver. The unabsorbed food is then sent to large intestine.

Large Intestine

Large intestine is about 1.5 meter long. The completely digested food enters in large intestine. Walls of large intestine have villi which absorbs the water and salt from the digested food. The Waste Material is then removed from the body through Anus.

Watch video on human digestive system –

This article is helpful for Class 10 Science

Keywords: Human Digestive System, Digestive system, Function of hydrochloric acid in stomach, Villi, Saliva, Peristalsis

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Comments

  1. Pratham Agrawal

    Good science course, all concepts well explained. I studied from learnfatafat and scored good marks in exam.

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