We’ve all got guts. Around 25 feet of them, in fact. That’s a lot to get your head around!
If you’ve ever wondered exactly what your digestive system does but it seems too overwhelming to understand, we hear you. Fear not, we’re here to break down the digestive system and its vital role in the body into easy to understand, digestible chunks.
Every month, we’ll be sharing a news post that will help you to get to grips with your digestive system. You can find out what’s coming next at the end of this post but for now, let’s start with a summary of the digestive system.
The digestive system is made up of a series of organs, responsible for breaking down food and liquids into smaller molecules (the smallest particle of a substance) that the body can use for things such as energy, growth and repair.
The digestive system includes the:
It also includes accessory organs, including the:
As well as our teeth, tongue and salivary glands helping in the process.
Accessory organs are organs that support the digestive system but are not part of the digestive tract itself (the long tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the anus).
We have free downloadable resources on the digestive system, including a labelled diagram, under the ‘What other resources do you have available?’ section, found here.
Next month, we’ll be getting to grips with the upper part of the digestive system, also known as the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
We’ll be sharing information about the organs within the upper part of the digestive system and the important roles they play.
We have information about the digestive system and over 40 digestive conditions and symptoms, which can be found here. You can also follow us on social media by searching ‘gutscharityuk’ to learn more, keep up to date with the work we do and take part in vital awareness campaigns to help us spread the word that our guts deserve better. It’s time for the UK to get to grips with guts!
Guts UK is the national charity for the digestive system. We are the only UK charity funding research into the whole digestive system.
People are suffering. People are dying. All because of a lack of knowledge about our guts. Guts UK exists to change that.
With new knowledge, we will end the pain and suffering for the millions affected by digestive diseases. Please consider donating today. Your donation will help fund research leading to earlier diagnoses, kinder treatments and ultimately, a cure.
Our Spring/Summer 2025 magazine is jam-packed with powerful real-life stories from people living with digestive conditions, information about our life-changing research, and inspiration from our fantastic fundraisers on ways you can make it all possible.
Guts UK was delighted to host a free webinar to help people get to grips with microscopic colitis, an inflammatory disease of the bowel that is characterised by watery diarrhoea, usually accompanied by urgency and...
By submitting this form, you are consenting to Guts UK contacting you by email as detailed above. To make any changes to your preferences you can email us on info@gutscharity.org.uk or by calling us on 020 7486 0341. Your details are safe with us. Please read our Privacy Policy for more details.
