Homeostasis
And The Digestive System
Homeostasis
Digestion
Digestion is the process a body uses to turn food into a usable source of energy. For humans and most mammals, digestion starts in the mouth, where enzymes that aid in digestion are released in saliva and help prepare food for further digestion by the stomach and intestines. Acids in the stomach break down complex carbohydrates, such as starches, and smaller particles are absorbed into the bloodstream. The unabsorbed particles then move to the small intestine, where they are further broken down and either absorbed by the intestinal wall to immediately be used as energy or to be stored as energy reserves (fat). What is left is moved to the large intestine for the final stages of absorption and digestion, and the unusable waste is expelled from the body as excrement.