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Human digestion is a complicated process that involves many steps. Due to the complexity of the topic, we will primarily focus on the mouth and esophagus, the stomach, small intestine, and the large intestine. The digestion process starts with the mouth (in technical terms, the oral cavity). When food is in your mouth, saliva and chewing soften the food and break it down into smaller pieces. When you swallow, the food travels through the esophagus and enters the stomach.
Saliva is very important and serves many more purposes than normally perceived. Saliva helps with digestion by breaking food down by enzymes, it provides lubrication when food is swallowed, and it helps thwart bacteria, fungi, viruses, and microorganisms before they enter the digestive tract. And though not for humans, saliva also provides grooming assistance for many animals. When the masticated food enters the stomach, it is further broken down by stomach (gastric) acids and enzymes, which break down the proteins. The body then moves the broken down materials (“slurry”) trough the duodenum to the small intestine. At this stage, the body excretes bile (from the liver, aiding fat absorption) and amylase (pancreatic juice, which helps with digestion and also neutralizes the acidity of the food). |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 March 2008 00:20 )
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