What Controls the Digestive Process?
The digestive system contains its own regulators – hormones – that are produced and released by cells in the mucosa of the stomach and small intestine. These hormones – which are released into the blood of the digestive tract and then travel to the heart, through the arteries and back to the digestive system – stimulate digestive juices and organ movement in the digestion process. These hormones include: • Gastrin: causes the stomach to produce an acid for dissolving and digesting some foods is necessary for the normal growth of the lining of the stomach, small intestine and colon • Secretin: causes the pancreas to send out a digestive juice that is rich in bicarbonate stimulates the stomach to produce pepsin – an enzyme that digests protein stimulates the liver to produce bile • CCK: causes the pancreas to grow and produce the enzymes of pancreatic juice causes the gallbladder to empty Hormones Aren’t the Only Things Affecting Our Digestion In addition to hormone regulators, there are
