Human digestive system predispose for certain digestive disorders. Gestational diabetes can develop in the mother as a result of pregnancy and while this often presents with few symptoms it can lead to pre-eclampsia. Human digestive system The human digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder). Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller components, until they can be absorbed and assimilated into the body. The process of digestion has many stages. The first stage is the cephalic phase of digestion which begins with gastric secretions in response
Digestive system of humpback whales digest the chitin in the exoskeletons of krill and prey swallowed whole. The duodenal ampulla can be described as the atrium of the small intestine and is a dilated sac forming the beginning of the duodenum. The duodenum prepares many nutrients from the digested matter (chyme), for absorption, which takes place in the intestines, and is the principal site for iron absorption. Digestive system of humpback whales The digestive system of humpback whales ("Megaptera novaeangliae") is adapted to digest tiny crustaceans such as krill, plankton, and small fish (including herring and mackerel) which the whale filters from the ocean using