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Human Digestive System | Kerala PSC LDC
- Fact 1 of 8馃珋
The liver: body's largest gland
The liver is the largest gland in the human body. It produces bile, which is stored in the gall bladder and emulsifies fats. Bile contains no digestive enzymes, a favourite PSC trap.
- Fact 2 of 8馃搹
The longest part of the gut
The small intestine is the longest part of the alimentary canal, about 6 metres long. Finger-like villi on its inner wall absorb most of the digested food.
- Fact 3 of 8馃憚
Digestion starts in the mouth
Saliva contains salivary amylase (ptyalin), which begins breaking down starch in the mouth. The parotid gland is the largest of the three pairs of salivary glands.
- Fact 4 of 8馃И
Acid inside your stomach
The stomach secretes hydrochloric acid, which kills germs in food and converts inactive pepsinogen into pepsin. Pepsin begins the digestion of proteins.
- Fact 5 of 8馃攢
Pancreas: a gland with two jobs
The pancreas is a mixed gland: it releases hormones like insulin and also secretes pancreatic juice. That juice contains trypsin, amylase and lipase, so it digests proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
- Fact 6 of 8馃寠
Food moves by muscle waves
Food is pushed through the oesophagus and intestines by peristalsis, rhythmic wave-like contractions of muscles. This is why you can swallow even while lying down.
- Fact 7 of 8馃Ψ
The hardest substance in your body
Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body. An adult normally has 32 permanent teeth, while a child has 20 milk teeth.
- Fact 8 of 8馃悰
The appendix: a vestigial organ
The vermiform appendix is attached to the caecum, where the small intestine joins the large intestine. It is a classic example of a vestigial organ in humans.
