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The human digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder). Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller components, until they can be absorbed and assimilated into the body.
Control of the digestive system is also maintained by ENS, which can be thought of as a digestive brain that can help to regulate motility, secretion and growth. Sensory information from the digestive system can be received, integrated and acted upon by the enteric system alone. When this occurs, the reflex is called a short reflex. [4]
The complete human digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver and gallbladder). [5] The tract may also be divided into foregut, midgut, and hindgut, reflecting the embryological origin of each segment.
In the human digestive system, food enters the mouth and mechanical digestion of the food starts by the action of mastication (chewing), a form of mechanical digestion, and the wetting contact of saliva. Saliva, a liquid secreted by the salivary glands, contains salivary amylase, an enzyme which starts the digestion of starch in the food. [1]
Exercise-induced stress can diminish intestinal barrier function. [ 35 ] [ 36 ] [ 37 ] In humans, the level of physical activity modulates the gastrointestinal microbiota , an increased intensity and volume of exercise may lead to gut dysbiosis , and supplementation may keep gut microbiota in biodiversity , especially with intense exercise. [ 38 ]
The abdominal cavity contains most organs of the digestive system, including the stomach, the small intestine, and the colon with its attached appendix.Other digestive organs are known as the accessory digestive organs and include the liver, its attached gallbladder, and the pancreas, and these communicate with the rest of the system via various ducts.
In the human digestive system, a bolus (a small rounded mass of chewed up food) enters the stomach through the esophagus via the lower esophageal sphincter. The stomach releases proteases (protein-digesting enzymes such as pepsin), and hydrochloric acid, which kills or inhibits bacteria and provides the acidic pH of 2 for the proteases to work.
In human beings, the duodenum is a hollow jointed tube about 25–38 centimetres (10–15 inches) long connecting the stomach to the middle part of the small intestine. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] It begins with the duodenal bulb and ends at the suspensory muscle of duodenum . [ 6 ]