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Digestive System Analysis

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Anatomy and Physiology of the Digestive System

Mouth and Salivary Glands

The mouth, also referred to as the oral cavity, is the entryway into the digestive tract. The opening is formed by the lips, which guide food into and contain food in the mouth. The palate forms the roof of the mouth and separates the mouth from the nasal passages. The uvula is important in sealing off the nasal passages during swallowing. The tongue forms the floor of the mouth and guides food within the mouth during chewing and swallowing. The major taste buds are also located on the tongue. (Sherwood 2013)

The first step in the digestive process is mastication, or chewing. This is the motility of the mouth which involves the slicing, grinding, tearing and mixing …show more content…

(Sherwood 2013) With regard to the digestive system, the pharynx only serves as a passageway for ingested food into the oesophagus. The top third of the oesophagus is surrounded by skeletal muscle and the lower two thirds by smooth muscle. (Smith & Morton 2001) It contains two sphincters, namely the Pharyngo-oesophageal sphincter (on top) and the gastro-oesophageal sphincter (at the bottom). (Sherwood …show more content…

Peristalsis is the successive contractions of a muscular organ, which moves gut contents along. (Henderson 2011) Peristalsis within the oesophagus moves the ingested food down and into the stomach.

Stomach

The stomach is a saclike storage chamber found between the oesophagus and the small intestine. The stomach consists of three main portions, namely the fundus, the body and the antrum. It is separated from the duodenum by the pyloric sphincter. The fundus lies above the oesophageal opening and has a relatively thin muscular layer, as does the body of the stomach which is the largest portion. The antrum however, has heavier musculature due to gastric mixing that occurs within the antrum. The body of the stomach is only for storage of ingested food and therefore the thinner muscle wall. (Sherwood 2013)

The primary function of the stomach is for storage of ingested food during the consumption of a meal, and then regulating its release into the duodenum (Smith & Morton 2001) at a rate that is optimal for digestion and absorption to occur. Moreover, the stomach has two other functions namely: Secretion of HCl and enzymes to begin the digestive process, and the production of chyme – the only form in which stomach contents can be emptied into the stomach. (Sherwood

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