NH+Digestive+System+Notes

20 ft long tube from mouth to anus In mouth
 * mechanical digestion
 * sugar is broken down chemically in your mouth and absorbed
 * broken down into smaller pieces by chewing

Stomach
 * acid and mechanical digestion continues to break the food down into smaller pieces, but not small enough to be absorbed
 * proteins are broken down in your stomach but not absorbed

Small Intestine
 * chemical digestion
 * broken down into small enough pieces that it can be absorbed
 * 6 ft long
 * called small intestine because it is narrow

large intestine
 * food you don't need that isn't absorbed
 * bacteria eat most of it
 * fiber is main component of it
 * water is absorbed
 * diarrhea-- when water is not absorbed

time
 * 1 minute to stomach
 * 2 hours in stomach
 * 4 hours in small intestine
 * sits in large intestine for about 27 hours