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STOMACH
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SMALL INTESTINE
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THE LIVER
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THE GALLBLADDER & PANCREAS
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THE LARGE INTESTINE
This is the first section of the digestive system that is located
in the abdomen. It is the shape of an empty bag, curved like
a bagpipe. In a normal person, your stomach is about the
size of two of your own fists alongside one another. It is a
storage tank for food so that your body can digest it properly.
Gastric juices and enzymes subject the swallowed food to
intense chemical reactions whilst also mixing it completely.
Peristalsis moves the food from the stomach to the
duodenum, which is the initial section of the small intestine.
This is a long, thin tube, around 10 feet long and an inch
in diameter. This is where the lower gastrointestinal tract
begins. It is all coiled up like a garden hose and its interior
surface is covered in millions of hairlike structures called
villi. Each has a lymphatic vessel and a network of vessels
delivering nutrients to it. The villi absorb nutrients and help to
increase the surface area of the small intestine – increasing
the absorption of nutrients.
Your liver is roughly triangular which is located to the right
of your stomach. It is the largest gland in the human body
and the second largest organ. The liver's main function with
regards to digestion is to produce bile and secrete it into the
small intestine. Bile helps with the digestion of fats. The liver
also regulates glucose levels, regulates the metabolism of
proteins and is a large blood filter, storing vitamins A, D, E and K.
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The gallbladder is pear-shaped, small organ that stores and
recycles excess bile so that it can be reused. The pancreas is
a large gland that secretes digestive enzymes into the small
intestine that breaks down fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
This long, thick tube (about 2 ½ inches in diameter) is about
5 feet long. It absorbs water and contains bacteria that help
break down waste so that it can extract small amounts of
nutrients. The faeces then leave the large intestine through
the anal canal.
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