Gastrointestinal Tract
The Digestive System
The gastrointestinal tract is a system of organs in animals where digestion of food, absorption of nutrients, and expulsion of waste occurs. It may commonly be referred to as the digestive tract, the alimentary canal, the gut, and the GI tract.
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. Food is broken down mechanically by the teeth and tongue, and also broken down chemically to some extent by saliva, enzymes, and bacteria in the mouth. Once chewed, the mass of food particles is called bolus. Bolus then passes through the throat to the stomach. Digestion, the breakdown process of food, continues as large parts of food are reduced to smaller portions. Chemical processing takes place, especially on protein, by the action of enzymes present in the gastric juices of the stomach.
Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth and is suspended in the stomach as enzymes and bacteria are denatured and destroyed by gastric acid. Protein digestion mostly occurs in the stomach.
The Lower GI Tract
The lower GI Tract consists of the small intestine, the large intestine, and the anus. Special enzymes, bile salts, and intestinal flora do most of the digestive work in the intestines.
Intestinal flora is commonly referred to as friendly bacteria and beneficial bacteria. It has many other functions beyond digestion – helps train the immune system,[1] helps fight infections,[2] helps repair the lower digestive tract,[3] could help control blood glucose levels,[4] and much more.
The mass of broken down food is now called chyme. Chyme comes from the stomach and is acidic. The pancreas releases bicarbonate in an effort to increase chyme’s pH before it gets passed through the intestines. The gallbladder releases bile salt to emulsify lipids (fats) as enzymes from the pancreas and liver further break down carbohydrates and proteins for easier absorption into the blood or lymph systems. Lipid and carbohydrate digestion occurs in the small intestine, as does most of the absorption. Soluble fiber, such as pectin, is not properly digested because the upper digestive tract and the small intestine lack key enzymes that can break it down into single units of monosaccharides. It is passed through to the large intestine as a prebiotic (intestinal flora food). Gut bacteria live in the large intestine and is where fiber is digested. What is not consumed by bacterial colonies in the gut will be passed on to the anus, and are ultimately expelled as feces.
The bacteria in your gut was formed, and is replenished by bacteria found in foods. Antibiotics are one of the main causes of intestinal flora destruction. As a result, probiotic supplementation has been recommended to a lot of people.
Contact us to learn more about a very effective and powerful probiotic supplement.
References:
[1] Vemula, P. “Antibiotic Resistance in the Human Microbiome”.
PowerPoint Presentation in form of PDF, page 2
Available at: http://www.bio.jhu.edu/diruggiero/Genomics_09/lectures_04/antibio.pdf
Accessed June 01, 2011
[2] ScienceDaily. “Friendly Gut Bacteria Lend A Hand To Fight Infection, Study Suggests”.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819123937.htm
Accessed June 01, 2011
[3] ScienceDaily. “Beneficial Bacteria Help Repair Intestinal Injury by Inducing Reactive Oxygen Species”.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110510151219.htm
Accessed June 01, 2011
[4] Al-Salami H, et. al. “Probiotic treatment reduces blood glucose levels and increases systemic absorption of gliclazide in diabetic rats”. Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet. 2008 Apr-Jun;33(2):101-6.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18777945
Accessed June 01, 2011
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