Gastrointestinal Tract

GI Tract

The Digestive System

The gastrointestinal tract (digestive tract, alimentary canal, gut or GI tract) is a system of organs in animals where digestion of food, absorption of nutrients and expulsion of waste occurs.

There is an upper gastrointestinal tract, and a lower gastrointestinal tract.

The Upper GI Tract

The upper GI Tract consists of the mouth, the pharynx, the esophagus, and the stomach. These must have necessary enzymes to break down food, better defined as digestion. Food is broken down mechanically by the teeth and tongue, and also broken down chemically to some extent by saliva in the mouth. It then passes through the throat to the stomach. Here, the process of breakdown continues, large parts of food are reduced to smaller portions. Chemical processing also takes place at this point, especially on protein, by the action of enzymes present in the stomach.

The Lower GI Tract

The lower GI Tract consists of the small intestine, the large intestine and the anus. These must have enzymes and friendly bacteria called intestinal flora. After the stomach food passes to the small intestine where further breakdown occurs, by enzymes and with the aid of bacteria, and the useful particles are absorbed into the bloodstream. The remaining particles pass through the large intestine and are ultimately expelled as feces.

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