What is the digestive system?
The digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal tract—also called the GI tract or digestive tract—and the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. The GI tract is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anus. The hollow organs that make up the GI tract are the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus. The liver, pancreas, and gallbladder are the solid organs of the digestive system.
The small intestine has three parts. The first part is called the duodenum. The jejunum is in the middle and the ileum is at the end. The large intestine includes the appendix, cecum, colon, and rectum. The appendix is a finger-shaped pouch attached to the cecum. The cecum is the first part of the large intestine. The colon is next. The rectum is the end of the large intestine.
Why is digestion important?
Digestion is important because your body needs nutrients from food and drink to work properly and stay healthy. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins NIH external link, minerals NIH external link, and water are nutrients. Your digestive system breaks nutrients into parts small enough for your body to absorb and use for energy, growth, and cell repair.
- Proteins break into amino acids
- Fats break into fatty acids and glycerol
The gastrointestinal tract
Your GI tract is a long tube that runs from your mouth to your anus. If you could stretch it out, it would measure 30 feet (9 meters). It’s shorter in your body because your intestines — the longest parts of the tract — coil up in your lower abdomen (belly) under your stomach. Your GI tract parts are your:
Mouth: This is where digestion begins.
Esophagus: This is a tube in the center of your chest, behind your windpipe (trachea) and in front of your spine.
Stomach: Your stomach sits in your upper abdomen on the left side of your body.
Small intestine: This 22-foot-long muscular tube is the longest part of your gastrointestinal tract. It coils up in your lower abdomen and curves around your pancreas.
Large intestine: The last step in the digestive process, the large intestine includes your colon, rectum and anus.
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