How Does the Digestive System Work With Other Systems?

The cardiovascular system interacts with the digestive system by carrying digested nutrients throughout the body via the bloodstream, explains Southwest Tennessee Community College. The digestive system also works with the excretory system to control the amount of water in the body and release undigested compounds in urine, notes Biology4Kids.com.

The digestive system further works in conjunction with the muscular, skeletal, nervous, endocrine, lymphatic, reproductive and respiratory systems, notes Southwest Tennessee Community College. Both certain bones of the skeletal system and muscles of the muscular system are involved in chewing food. The muscular system also plays an important role in swallowing food and moving the products of the digestion process along the gastrointestinal tract. The endocrine system interacts with the digestive system in that there are hormones that play a role the digestion process. The functioning of the nervous system can also have an impact on how digestion progresses.

The lymphatic system is involved in the absorption of fats consumed through food that enters the digestive system, and the digestive system works with the reproductive system to supply the nutrients necessary for successful conception and healthy development of offspring, explains Southwest Tennessee Community College.

The respiratory system shares the anatomical structure called the pharynx with the digestive system, notes KidsHealth. The pharynx is involved in transporting both air and food.

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