Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Human Nutrition
Alimentary Canal
What is Alimentary Canal?
The continuous muscular tube running from the mouth to the anus through which food passes: mouth, oesophagus, stomach, duodenum, ileum, colon, rectum and anus. Associated organs such as the salivary glands, liver, gall bladder and pancreas add secretions to the canal through ducts, but food never passes through them.
This definition is part of the Human Nutrition chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.
Questions students ask about Alimentary Canal
What is the difference between digestion and absorption?
Digestion is the breakdown of large, usually insoluble food molecules into small soluble molecules, and it happens in the cavity of the alimentary canal. Absorption is the movement of those small molecules through the wall of the intestine into the blood or the lymphatic system. Digestion prepares the molecules; absorption moves them.