How does a healthy digestive system work?
A normal digestive system breaks down food into smaller pieces called nutrients. The body needs nutrients to stay healthy. Food moves from the esophagus down to the small intestine, where the nutrients are absorbed into the blood. Leftover water and solid waste then move down into the large intestine (colon). Most of the water is absorbed back into the bloodstream there. Solid waste leaves the body through the rectum and out the anus as a bowel movement. Who gets inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)? People of every race, sex and class all over the world have IBD. But researchers have found that IBD is more common among certain groups of people. These include: • people who have a family member with IBD • white people of Jewish decent • people of higher socioeconomic classes • people who live in cities • people who live in developed countries Smoking also seems to affect a person’s risk of getting IBD. People who smoke are more likely to develop CD. On the other hand, smoking seems to reduc
A normal digestive system breaks down food into smaller pieces called nutrients. The body needs nutrients to stay healthy. Food moves from the esophagus down to the small intestine, where the nutrients are absorbed into the blood. Leftover water and solid waste then move down into the large intestine (colon). Most of the water is absorbed back into the bloodstream there. Solid waste leaves the body through the rectum and out the anus as a bowel movement.
A normal digestive system breaks down food into nutrients. Nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. The body needs nutrients for energy and to stay healthy. The digestive tract runs from the mouth to the anus. When you eat food, it goes from your mouth, down your esophagus, and into your stomach. From there, it goes into your small intestine, where the nutrients are absorbed into your blood. Leftover water and solid waste then move down into your large intestine, where most of the water is absorbed back into the blood. Solid waste leaves the body out of the anus as a bowel movement.
