Digestive System Definition

From the moment you put food in your mouth until you evacuate the material from your body, the digestive system is in charge of digesting the meals you ingest. It’s astonishing how everything can go well with all of these pieces that have to operate together, from the stomach to the gall bladder to the large intestine. It’s a well-organized system that feeds you with food and water, allowing you to live.

A schematic of the human digestive system is shown above.

Digestive System Top 20 Interesting Facts

1. The stomach, contrary to common assumption, is not the primary site of food digestion. While mechanical digestion takes place in the stomach, the small intestine is responsible for the majority of the effort.
2. Food does not go down your throat due to gravity. The esophageal muscles transport food to the stomach. You may eat upside down, but be careful not to choke.
3. The stomach needs to line itself with mucus to protect itself against acid erosion. This prevents the stomach from being broken down by the hydrochloric acid used to digest meals.
4. To defend itself, the stomach develops a new coating of mucus every two weeks, as well as half a gallon of hydrochloric acid every day.
5. Foods are broken down by enzymes in the digestive tract. Amylases attack carbs, whereas proteases break down proteins. Lipases are enzymes that break down lipids.
6. To break down stains, some laundry detergents employ the same enzymes that your body uses to break down food.
7. The small intestine is rather large. It could cover an area the size of a tennis court if stretched out. This is owing to the villi and microvilli folds in its walls, which give more surface area.
8. Stomachs differ significantly across animals. Ruminants, such as cows, have a four-chambered stomach, but seahorses and platypuses have none.
9. The fermentation that occurs in the large intestine is responsible for passing gas. Bacteria work on breaking down the food that has made it to the big intestine. They emit gases like methane and hydrogen sulphide as they function.
10. The digestive system is connected to cancer in more individuals than any other bodily system and is responsible for more deaths.
11. Doctor Adolph Kussmaul used a rudimentary endoscope to peek into a live person’s stomach for the first time. He had to swallow the tool with a sword swallower since it was stiff, but it gave him the first glimpse at the stomach.
12. A physician dealing with a guy who had a fistula, a hole in his stomach wall that allowed access from outside the body, discovered the importance of hydrochloric acid in stomach digestion. Food may be immediately inserted into the stomach through the fistula.
13. Borborygmi is the term for the rumbling noises made by your stomach. It might happen to you while you’re hungry or when you’re not. As peristaltic waves flow through your intestines, they sound strongest when your stomach is empty.
14. Every day, a typical or average individual generates enough saliva to fill two Coke cans, or about two quarts.
15. Your stomach has the capacity to hold up to four pounds of food.
16. Your body creates extra saliva to protect your teeth from stomach acids when you vomit.
17. Burps are used to expel extra air from the body caused by carbonated drinks, smoking, or eating too quickly.
18. A food bolus may move from the oesophagus to the stomach in 2 to 5 seconds.
19. The digestive system is complemented by other organs. Bile and proteases are produced by the liver and pancreas to help in digestion.
20. Fiber in the diet is crucial. It softens and bulks up the faeces. It may also have an impact on the health of gut microbes.