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Essay / Understanding the Digestive System - 600
The human digestive system is very complex. It starts from the mouth, salivary glands, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, small intestine, large intestine, and then ends/exits through the anus. Each step is essential to the entire system. For example, the mouth chews food and mixes it with saliva produced by the salivary glands, then the pharynx swallows the chewed food mixed with saliva. The food then passes through the esophagus to the stomach where the food takes a bath and mixes. with acids and enzymes. After the stomach, the liver, pancreas and gallbladder produce, store and release bile and bicarbonates. Bile is produced in the liver and aids in digestion and absorption of fats, while the gallbladder stores bile and releases it into the small intestine when needed. After the process in the small intestine, this is where the nutrients will be absorbed into the blood or lymph (most of the digestion takes place here). Next comes the large intestine, where water and some vitamins and minerals are absorbed. Finally, it's the end of the road, the anus. HAS...