Slide show: See how your digestive system works

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Your digestive system gears up

A fresh-baked apple pie has just come out of the oven. Just the sight and smell of it are enough to make you start salivating and producing stomach acids. So even before you take a bite, your digestive system has swung into action.

After the first morsel enters your mouth, the many organs of your digestive tract kick into high gear. Here's a look at how your digestive system works, from top to bottom.

1. Your digestive system and how it works. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd. Accessed Feb. 14, 2011.
2. Mason JB, et al. Mechanisms of nutrient absorption and malabsorption. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 14, 2011.