ANTH 3342 Lecture 4: 1-30-2017 HOW DIGESTION WORKS CONTINUED
8 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
How does food move through the digestive system: in a wave-like movement, called peristalsis, muscles propel food and liquid along the digestive tract. In general, there are six steps in the process of moving food and liquid through the digestive system: six stages of peristalsis: 1 the first major muscle movement is swallowing food or liquid. 2 the esophagus, which connects the throat above with the stomach below. 3 where the esophagus and stomach join, there is a ring-like valve that closes passage between the two organs. When food nears the closed ring, the surrounding muscles relax and allow food to pass into the stomach, and then it closes again. 4 the food then enters the stomach, which completes three mechanical tasks: stores, mixes, and empties: First the stomach stores the swallowed food and liquid, which requires the muscle of the upper part of the stomach to relax and accept large volumes of swallowed material.
