How does the digestive system work?
It is sometimes called our “second brain”. The belly – and its appendages! – includes millions of neurons, is home to an ecosystem rich in billions of bacteria and accomplishes a feat every day: to eat, digest and thus nourish all our cells. Zoom on the digestive system.
Anatomy of digestive organs
La digestion helps break down food into nutrients, small molecules that can then be transported by the blood and used by cells. It is these nutrients that provide cells with the energy to function, grow and maintain good health.
The bread, vegetables or meat that make up your meal therefore end up, thanks to digestion, in the form of vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins and lipids that can be assimilated by the body.
Food is broken down during a long journey through the digestive system, which consists of:
- Du digestive tract : mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine, up to the anus
- D’ancillary organs : teeth, tongue, gallbladder, as well as salivary glands, liver and pancreas
As food moves through the digestive tract, it is broken up into smaller and smaller pieces, mechanically, and chemically using enzymes.