Posts from September 2009
29/09/09
How well do you know your digestive system? Part Two
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I hope you are all enjoying the last of the September sunshine; I can’t believe we only have one day left!
So are you all more aware of how your digestive system works following last week’s introduction? I do hope so, as understanding the functions of all the parts of the digestive system and appreciating how they work together really can help you to get in tune with your gut health!
This week I’ll be finishing off the overview by giving you the low down on the large intestine, the pancreas, the liver and the gall bladder.
5. The large intestine (colon and rectum) – When most of the nutrients from our food have been absorbed, the remaining residue passes into the large intestine, which is home to over four hundred different types of’ good’, ‘bad’ and ‘indifferent’ bacteria. Some of these bacteria ferment undigested fibre and starch. Then water is removed and absorbed back into the body to create semi-solid stools (faeces). The rectum stores the faeces until it’s convenient to expel it from the body via the anal canal – a muscular tube.
6. The pancreas – While not strictly part of the digestive system, the pancreas is essential to digestion. The gland secretes an alkaline juice (which neutralises the acid from the stomach) and enzymes that break down protein, fat and carbohydrates. Some cells of the pancreas also secrete hormones like insulin, which help to control blood sugar.
7. The liver – The liver is the chemical factory and warehouse of the body. It receives nutrients from the gut via the blood and metabolises these in many different ways. It also stores some nutrients such as vitamin B12 and vitamin A and makes bile, which is secreted down a tube called the bile duct into the gall bladder.
8. The gall bladder – The gall bladder concentrates bile and squeezes it into the small intestine, where it helps to digest fat.
So there you have the whole digestive system in two weeks! I hope you have enjoyed this little digestive system work-shop? As always let me know if you have any questions, I’m always here to help.
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22/09/09
How well do you know your digestive system?
How well do you know your digestive system?
I’m not sure how much you all know about how the digestive system works, but I’m sure that most of us have from time to time thought about what goes on inside our stomachs. The digestive system runs right throughout the core of our body and comprises of a very complex set of organs. It is a bit like a miniature factory, with each organ specifically designed to carry out its function so that the whole system continues to run like clockwork.
But just like a factory, if part of the equipment isn’t quite right, the entire production chain can effectively break down. So for example if your food doesn’t contain sufficient fibre, the ‘production line’ of your digestive system has to work overtime to pass the waste out of the body, and may sometimes give up for a while, which can result in constipation.
But problems like this are easy to fix once you understand exactly how the digestive system works and how to take better care of it. That’s why I thought a step-by-step guide to the whole digestive system might be useful – starting this week with the mouth, the gullet (oesophagus), the stomach and the small intestine.
- The mouth – Seeing and smelling food starts the digestive process by increasing the flow of saliva in the mouth. Biting and chewing breaks food up and mixes it with saliva, which contains starch-splitting enzymes. The tongue then pushes the chewed food to the back of the mouth where it is then swallowed.
- The gullet (oesophagus) – Once swallowed, food enters the gullet – a muscular pipe that pushes food from the mouth to the stomach in about six seconds.
- The stomach – The stomach is the place where food gets stored for anything between a few minutes and five hours. During this time the food is mixed with acid. This not only helps digest protein but also kills many bacteria, stopping them from entering the gut alive and thus helping to prevent infections. Once digestion in the stomach is complete, the ring of muscle at the bottom of the stomach relaxes and allows small quantities of food to pass into the small intestine.
- The small intestine – I bet you didn’t know that the small intestine is about six metres long. It’s where most of the digestion of fat, carbohydrates and protein takes place with the help of enzymes released by the pancreas and the intestine itself and bile, which helps to digest fat.
I hope you find this interesting; I’ll be back next week but as ever do please get in touch if you have any questions or comments at all!
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