Ever wondered, what happens to the food once it reached the stomach? Where does it travel to and how the body utilizes it? Well, in humans it is a complex route and the food goes through a lot once entering the body. Once the food is taken in, it travels down the food pipe and reaches the stomach. Stomach is the first organ of the digestive system. The stomach contains a strong hydrochloric acid that will break down the complex food into smaller structures. This activity is done to fasten the absorption by the body.
The sugars and carbohydrates that enter is hydrolyzed to its most basic form and then absorbed by the body through the blood. The stomach contains various digestive enzymes that are specific for the specific substrate and together in synergy help break the food into a digestible form. The first breakdown that happens to the food is by the saliva in the mouth. Saliva contains various enzymes again to break down the initial food.
The food from the stomach is then segregated to different organs for specific absorption. Most of the part is taken by the liver and the intestines. Spleen and pancreas also help metabolize some of the food components.
Most of the digestion takes place in the gastrointestinal tract that consists of the large and the small intestine. Among them, the small intestine carries out most of the digestion. Digestion is a common term used to break down the food into their smallest absorbable form. The action remains the same; food is broken down by various enzymes that are present in the body.
The food intake is completely utilized by the body, to the last possible form. This is done by various structures called villi present in the intestine. These structures in turn increase the surface area that can accommodate most of the food and digest it to the lowermost level. The large intestine mainly serves as a site of fermentation of the digestible matter by the gut flora. The remaining matter is called feces that will be later excreted out of the body.
The human digestive system is a highly specialized one and is very efficient until pushed to limits. Normal diet will keep the system always intake, whereas if the diet is improper then there would be undue pressure on the system and due to which it might give away at some point of time. Excess amount of food intake will result in deposition of fats and cholesterol all over the body and in turn may impair the system. Healthy diet will keep the system healthy and fit for life.