The Digestive System and How it Works - A fact i just realise

The study of digestion came up while i was having my breakfast yesterday, the food was a parboiled white rice and an assorted chicken, this was how it happened.

While having my breakfast, and at the same time chatting and wasn't concentrating on the food like taking a spoon every 2 minutes, I kept on eating like that for almost 15 minutes until i noticed a pressure in my stomach (The food) settling inside after some several seconds, i paused the food to chat.

At first, i thought it was a joke (was having funny feelings), but noticing it the second time made me realize something is going on in there (but i never knew it was the food yet), I took another spoon of rice again, then waited for several seconds to realise it was the food settling down, oh my God, I said because I was very shocked discovering this fact because all I thought was that the food gets into your stomach immediately when swallowed which was never so. After i discover this fact, i quickly left the chat room then started making serious research about digestion then i have all this below.

Firstly, i started making research about the number of seconds it takes for chewed food particles to move down the esophagus and it was stated all over the internet that takes about seven seconds. on seeing this, i wasn't that shocked because i have something right in front of me to prove it.

immediately, i took another spoon of rice then waited for seven seconds and then i realize that after seven seconds i feel the pressure in my stomach again.

Me seeing this fact correct i was eager to study more about digestion.
So let take a look at the real digestion process i also discover

The Digestion Process

This is a process by which food is been break down into it constituent nutrient and the sieving out the waste product. But that would not have been possible without this five organ which is: mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and the large intestine.

Image from Pixabay

firstly, digestion start from the mouth by the releasing of saliva on the food and chewing them down into bolus(chewed food) which are easier to swallow but mind you the action of saliva on the bolus(chewed food) helps break down starches into maltose in other to make it easier for the small intestine to handle.

After the chewed food is completely socked in saliva, you then swallow the bolus down the esophagus which travels for about seven seconds before getting to the gate of the stomach (lower esophageal sphincter). The gate opens in other to allow the bolus settles into your stomach.

While in your stomach, An Acid (Gastric acid) also helps in breaking down the bolus more and most especially, attacking the proteinous part of the bolus in other to break down the long chain of amino acid in a protein by activating the digestive enzymes. While this process is on, other cells in the stomach produce a bicarbonate in other to neutralize the bulos and making it not too acidic for the small intestine to handle.
After the process is over, the mixture of the neutralize gastric acid and bolus is then passed into the small intestine with a new name called chyme (gastric acid + bolus).

As soon as the new chyme is passed into the small intestine, The Pancreas and the liver are then activated to contribute to the ongoing digestion.
firstly, the pancreas passes it digestive juice(pancreatic juice) to break down all carbohydrates, fats, and proteins completely. Then the bile from the Liver dissolves all fat completely.

After all the process is successful Water, Vitamin and other nutrient move out to the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine and the leftover (undigested food) is passed to the large intestine.

According to Mayo Clinic Study, it is said that undigested food spends a lot of hours in the large intestine and it varies by sex(33 hours for male and 47 hours for female).

After the undigested food stays in the large intestine for that amount of hours said above, it is then passed to the rectum with a new name called stool which will later be passed out as soon as you are ready to defecate.

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I Still remain your Baby Steemian Thanks for Coming Around

Refrences

Action of Saliva
Action of Gastric Acid
Digestion process
Mayo Clinic Study