Michael H Aure
Nutri, Health, and Wellness
3/8/13

Digestive System Parts

1. Parotid salivary Gland 2. Pharynx 3. Esophagus 4. Liver 5. Stomach 6. Gallbladder 7. Pancreas 8. Transverse colon 9. Descending colon 10. Small intestine 11. Ascending colon 12. Appendix 13. Rectum 14. Anal Canal

1. Parotid salivary gland is secretes saliva to break down food that has been mechanically “chopped up” by teeth and the mouth for easier digestion. It is located in the mouth by the mandibular ramus. 2. Pharynx is top of the throat. This is where the food id pushed into after being broken up and dissolved by saliva and is simulated by swallowing. I will remember the pharynx by repeating the word in my head when I swallow. 3. Esophagus is the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach; it’s a long “waterslide” of muscles that moves the food down from your mouth into the digestive system. I will remember the esophagus location by remembering a waterslide from the top to the bottom. 4. Liver is used to break down and detoxify food that comes down from the Esophagus. It acts like a filter. I will remember the liver by thinking of it as a tap water filter, after food comes down from the esophagus it is “filtered” in the liver. 5. Gallbladder is a tissue sac beneath the liver. It produces CCK to break down the fat from the food. I will remember the gallbladder as a function of the liver that breaks down the fat. 6. Stomach digests the food from the esophagus and secretes enzymes and acids to break down the food to enter the small intestine. The stomach is essentially the factory warehouse for the food before it enters the de-assembly line. 7. Small intestine is the longest part of the GI tract where most digestion takes place. This is the disassembly line of the digestive system where the food goes on a long ride and gets broken down the most into small components and molecules so the body can absorb them. 8. Pancreas is a gland located behind the stomach that secretes digestive enzymes. The pancreas aids in the digestion of carbohydrates. 9. Ascending colon is the left part of the large intestine. I can remember where it is because the food goes up like an escalator up this part of the colon. Ascending and up 10. Transverse colon runs across the top of the small intestine. It absorbs water and produces water. It is then connected to the descending colon. 11. The descending colon is the