The topic of Matsumi Ladies Clinic Mita English blog in May is about digestion.

In the first part, I create an article about the names and their functions of the digestive system.

 

Soon after eating dinner, you may sit back on a couch and watch TV.

You forget the food in the stomach.

However, your digestive activity starts and goes on for many hours in your body.

How does your body digest the food you eat?

Is the stomach the central part of the digestive system?

 

Your digestive system begins before biting food in your mouth.

Many people experience saliva coming into the mouth shortly after feeling a pleasant aroma.

While biting, the saliva softens the food to make it mushy.

Then you can swallow the mushy one.

It passes through the pharynx and enters the esophagus.

If you swallow it so quickly, it often goes down to the trachea by mistakes.

In such cases, you will have a lot of coughing to get rid of it.

 

The softened food goes to the stomach.

The stomach functions as a mixer that breaks down proteins and other substances with gastric juice.

The inner wall of the stomach secretes two liters of hydrochloric acid, which can dissolve food.

Food stays there for about 4 hours.

Not only that, the stomach kills lots of harmful bacteria.

When the bad ones go through to the digestive organs, it causes illnesses such as abdominal pain and diarrhea.

 

The next stage is the small intestines, whose length is about 6-7 meters.

The first part of the small intestines breaks down the food mixed with juice from the liver and the pancreas.

The liver provides bile that helps break up fats.

The pancreas helps digest fats and protein by providing additional enzymes.

 

The second part of the intestine plays the role of absorbing the nutrients into your body through the blood.

Then it goes to the large intestine.

It works to remove the indigestible leftovers.

The intestine pushes poop into the rectum.

In the bathroom, you push it out through the anus.

 

The digestive system is essential to your survival.

You can help it by eating a healthy diet and drinking water.

The next blog is about the relationship between our health and gut bacteria.