Interaction of the Digestive System with Other Body Systems

• As part of the integumentary system, the skin plays a vital role in the absorption of calcium and synthesis of proteins.
• The digestive system, on the other hand, is responsible for keeping the skin healthy and protected by providing fats and oils absorbed by the small intestine.
• Vitamin D is essential for increasing the rate of protein synthesis of muscle fibers to improve muscle strength.
• As the digestive system absorbs nutrients from food, it needs the help of the circulatory system to transport the nutrients into the other parts of the body.
• About 30 percent of blood pumped by the heart goes to the digestive system.
• The circulatory system is also responsible for transporting waste and unnecessary materials towards the kidney for urination.
• This system is also essential to the digestive system since it supplies the right amount of blood and oxygen needed for energy which drives digestion.
• The circulatory system also plays a big role in assimilation which is one of the processes involved in digestion.
• The digestive system also helps the excretory system to eliminate wastes from the body.
• As the liver breaks down amino acids and fats coming from products of digestion, it also removes the unnecessary wastes from the blood.
• The digestive system processes provide the building blocks for some of the neurotransmitters of the nervous system.
• Regulators are substances which control the different processes of the system.
• Hormone regulators stimulate the production of gastric juices and cause the movement of the organs involved.
• Gastrin stimulates the production of acid which dissolves and digests food in the stomach.
• Secretin signals the production of digestive juices like pepsin.
• Pepsin is responsible for the breakdown of most proteins.
• Cholecystokinin signals the production of pancreatic juices that helps digestion within the small intestine.
• Nerve regulators are the ones responsible for controlling the actions of the digestive system.
• Extrinsic nerve regulators from the brain or spinal cord release chemicals called acetylcholine and adrenaline.
• Additional force for squeezing and peristalsis is induced by acetylcholine.
• Adrenaline, on the other hand, relaxes the muscles of the stomach and

  intestine.
• Intrinsic nerve regulators are found as a network in the walls of the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. They are stimulated to release different enzymes as food enters these organs.