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7 Facts About the Digestive System
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Digestion is important for breaking down food into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth, and cell repair.
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Digestion works by moving food through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
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Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing and ends in the small intestine.
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As food passes through the GI tract, it mixes with digestive juices, causing large molecules of food to break down into smaller molecules. The body then absorbs these smaller molecules through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream, which delivers them to the rest of the body..
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Waste products of digestion pass through the large intestine and out of the body as a solid matter called stool.
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Digestive juices contain enzymes that break food down into different nutrients.
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The small intestine absorbs most digested food molecules, as well as water and minerals, and passes them on to other parts of the body for storage or further chemical change. Hormone and nerve regulators control the digestive process.
