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The start of the process - the mouth: The digestive process begins in the mouth. Food is partly broken down by the process of chewing and by the chemical action of salivary enzymes (these enzymes are produced by the salivary glands and break down starches into smaller molecules).

On the way to the stomach: the esophagus - After being chewed and swallowed, the food enters the esophagus. The esophagus is a long tube that runs from the mouth to the stomach. It uses rhythmic, wave-like muscle movements (called peristalsis) to force food from the throat into the stomach. This muscle movement gives us the ability to eat or drink even when we're upside-down.

In the stomach - The stomach is a large, sack-like organ that churns the food and bathes it in a very strong acid (gastric acid). Food in the stomach that is partly digested and mixed with stomach acids is called chyme.

In the small intestine - After being in the stomach, food enters the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. It then enters the jejunum and then the ileum (the final part of the small intestine). In the small intestine, bile (produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder), pancreatic enzymes, and other digestive enzymes produced by the inner wall of the small intestine help in the breakdown of food.

In the large intestine - After passing through the small intestine, food passes into the large intestine. In the large intestine, some of the water and electrolytes (chemicals like sodium) are removed from the food. Many microbes (bacteria like Bacteroides, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella) in the large intestine help in the digestion process. The first part of the large intestine is called the cecum (the appendix is connected to the cecum). Food then travels upward in the ascending colon. The food travels across the abdomen in the transverse colon, goes back down the other side of the body in the descending colon, and then through the sigmoid colon.

The end of the process - Solid waste is then stored in the rectum until it is excreted via the anus.

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Related Questions

These secrete digestive enzymes in the mouth to help the digestive process begin in the mouth?

Salivary glands.


Where does digestive systems start?

The digestive system starts at the mouth.


Where does the digestive precess start?

At your mouth


Does the digestive system start in your mouth?

yes


What part of digestive system start?

mouth


Why is it important that the mouth and stomach are at the start of the digestive system?

It is important that the mouth and stomach are at the start of the digestive system because they begin the process of breaking down food into smaller molecules that can be absorbed by the body. This allows for the nutrients in food to be properly digested and utilized for energy and growth.


Where does the digestive process begin?

technically, in your mouth. Mainly through the activity of the enzyme Amylase. altho, smelling food (nose), makes your mouth and stomach start producing digestive enzymes even before you start eatting so the body is ready to start digesting as soon as the food hits yoru mouth.


What digestive process normally takes place in the mouth?

Mouth, esophagus, stomach


What does the food do in the mouth?

The mouth is the start of the digestive process. By chewing it up, you are breaking up the food to allow for easier digestion. While in your mouth, your saliva begins breaking down the starches that are contained in the food.


Which digestive process normally occurs only in the mouth?

ingestion


What happens in the mouth at the beginning of the digestive process?

The action of chewing produces extra saliva - which contains digestive enzymes.


What is the purpose of the digestive system in the human body, and how do the mouth and anus play essential roles in this process?

The purpose of the digestive system in the human body is to break down food into nutrients that can be absorbed and used by the body for energy and growth. The mouth is where digestion begins, as enzymes in saliva start breaking down food. The anus is where waste products are eliminated from the body after nutrients have been absorbed, completing the digestive process.