What Are the Main Organs of the Digestive System?
The digestive system is a long, twisty tube that runs through your body. Its job? To turn the food you eat into energy and nutrients your body can use. This system is made up of major organs that work together to break down food, absorb nutrients, and get rid of waste.
Let’s take a journey through your digestive system—from your mouth all the way to the end.
🔍Dive Deeper
- What Is the Digestive System?
- Mouth
- Esophagus
- Stomach
- Small Intestine
- Large Intestine
- Rectum and Anus
- Accessory Organs
- 🎯 Final Thoughts
- đź“š References
What Is the Digestive System?
The digestive system includes a group of organs that help you digest food. Digestion means breaking down food into tiny parts so your body can use the good stuff—like vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and carbs.
This system has two main parts:
- The digestive tract (also called the gastrointestinal or GI tract): a hollow tube that food passes through.
- Accessory organs: organs that help with digestion but food doesn’t pass through them (like the liver and pancreas).
Mouth
Digestion starts in your mouth, even before you swallow!
- Teeth break food into smaller pieces.
- Salivary glands produce saliva, which contains enzymes that start breaking down starch.
- The tongue helps mix the food and pushes it toward the back of your throat.
🍽️ Fun fact: Your mouth makes about 1 to 2 liters of saliva every day [1]!
Esophagus
The esophagus is a muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach.
- It uses peristalsis—wave-like muscle movements—to push food down.
- A ring of muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter keeps food from coming back up.
Stomach
The stomach is a stretchy, J-shaped organ.
- It churns food with gastric juices made of hydrochloric acid and enzymes like pepsin.
- These juices break down proteins and kill harmful bacteria.
- Food stays in the stomach for about 2 to 6 hours, turning into a liquid called chyme.
đź“Š According to the Cleveland Clinic, your stomach can hold about 1 liter (4 cups) of food at a time [2].
Small Intestine
The small intestine is where most digestion and absorption happen.
- It’s about 20 feet long and made up of three parts: the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum.
- Nutrients pass through its walls into your blood.
- It’s lined with villi and microvilli, tiny finger-like structures that grab nutrients.
đź“Ź If stretched out, the surface area of your small intestine could cover a tennis court [3]!
Large Intestine
The large intestine (also called the colon) is shorter but wider than the small intestine.
- It absorbs water and minerals from leftover food.
- Bacteria in your colon help break down what’s left and make vitamins like vitamin K.
- It forms and stores solid waste (poop).
Rectum and Anus
- The rectum is the final storage space for poop.
- The anus is the opening where waste leaves the body.
- Two muscles called sphincters control when you go to the bathroom.
Accessory Organs
Though food doesn’t pass through them, these organs help with digestion:
| Organ | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Liver | Makes bile to help digest fats |
| Gallbladder | Stores and releases bile into the small intestine |
| Pancreas | Produces enzymes that break down carbs, proteins, and fats |
🧪 The pancreas also makes bicarbonate, which helps neutralize stomach acid in the small intestine.
🎯 Final Thoughts
The digestive system is more than just a food tube—it’s a team of powerful organs working together to keep you healthy and energized. From the moment food enters your mouth to the second waste leaves your body, every organ plays a key role in turning your meals into fuel.
Understanding these organs helps us appreciate how our bodies work—and why it’s important to eat foods that keep this amazing system running smoothly!
đź“š References
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. “Salivary Glands.” https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/
- Cleveland Clinic. “Stomach: Anatomy and Function.” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/
- Temple University School of Medicine. “The Small Intestine: A Digestive Powerhouse.” https://medicine.temple.edu/
- MedlinePlus. “Digestive System.” U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/digestivesystem.html
đź“Ś Learn More About the Digestive System
- What Are the Main Organs of the Digestive System?
- What Does the Small Intestine Acutally Do?
- What Is the Large Intestine and Why Is It So Long?
- What Role Does the Liver Play in Digestion?
- What Does the Pancreas Do in Digestion?