Digestive System Overview

What is it?

The digestive system is made the mouth, stomach, small intestine, large intestine. The pancreas, gallbladder, and the liver helps them.

What does it do?

The digestive system breaks down food and absorbs nutrients.

How does it work?

Mouth is where food breakdown starts. Teeth chews food. Saliva moistens food. Food is swallowed and travels to the stomach.

Stomach mixes food with digestive juices to help break down food. Food travels to the small intestines.

Small intestines break down food and absorb nutrients. Leftover waste goes to the large intestines.

Large intestines absorb water from the waste. Waste becomes a solid and leaves the body.

  1. Structure & Function of the Digestive System. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7041-the-structure-anDisease-function-oFunction-the-digestive-system. Updated September 13, 2018. Accessed December10, 2020.
  2. Your Digestive System & How it Works. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works. Published December 2017. Accessed December 10, 2020.