DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

CONTENT

1. Definition of Digestive System, Digestion and Alimentary Canal
2. Types of Alimentary Tract
3. Parts of the Mammalian Alimentary Canal
4. The Human Digestive System
5. Four-Chambered Stomach

Definition of Digestive System

The digestive system is a series of connected organs whose purpose is to break down, or digest, the food we eat. Food is made up of large, complex molecules, which the digestive system breaks down into smaller, simple molecules that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. The simple molecules travel through the bloodstream to all of the body’s cells, which use them for growth, repair, and energy.

All animals have a digestive system, a feature that distinguishes them from plants. Plants produce their own food in a process called photosynthesis, during which they use sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into simple sugars. But animals, including humans, must take in food in the form of organic matter, such as plants or other animals.

Meaning of Digestion

Digestion is the breaking down of complex food substances into simple, soluble and diffusible form by mechanical and chemical means.