Library · Anatomy
Digestive system
Make it clearer
The digestive system is not a single tube. It is made up of the digestive tract, which doctors call the gastrointestinal tract and which is the long passage food travels through, plus three organs that work alongside it: the liver, the pancreas, and the gallbladder.
Food does not fall through under its own weight. It gets pushed. The movement is called peristalsis, and it happens because the large, hollow organs of the tract have a layer of muscle in their wall that contracts and relaxes in waves. It works the way a tube of toothpaste empties when it is squeezed in sequence, from one end toward the other.
And all that work has a single purpose: the body needs the nutrients that come in food and drink in order to work properly and stay healthy.
In brief
The digestive system is made up of the digestive tract, also called the gastrointestinal tract, along with the liver, the pancreas, and the gallbladder.
Food moves along through a process called peristalsis: the large, hollow organs of the tract contain a layer of muscle that enables their walls to move.
All of this matters because the body needs nutrients from food and drink to work properly and stay healthy.
Sources (1)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesYour Digestive System & How It Works
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated