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Your'e All Connected. (Digestion).(how the digestive system extracts nutrients from the food we eat)

Staying Healthy 4, a Weekly Reader publication

| January 01, 1994 | COPYRIGHT 1994 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)Copyright

The digestive system is like along, twisting highway running through your body.

Some glands and organs act like side roads to the main digestive highway. These glands and organs make digestive juices that contain enzymes. Enzymes break food down into materials the body can use for growth and energy.

The side roads of the body include the salivary glands in the mouth, gastric glands in the stomach, and intestinal glands in the small intestine, as well as the liver gallbladder, and pancreas.

Working Together

If any gland or organ doesn't work properly, that can affect the health and growth of other parts of the body. For example, glands in the small intestine produce an enzyme called lactase. Lactase is needed to digest milk sugar, called lactose. If the small intestine does not produce enough lactase, the body has trouble digesting the lactose in milk and milk products.

In one study of U.S. schoolchildren aged 8 and 9, three out of four African-American children and one out of five white children were found to have trouble digesting milk. Yet these children need the calcium in milk for building strong bones and teeth. Luckily, lactose-reduced dairy products have been developed to help. Adults and children can also get needed calcium from dark green vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach.