The Digestive System – The Engine that Plants Built

Foundational Texts on Digestive Anatomy and Physiology

Guyton, A. C. & Hall, J. E. (2016). Textbook of Medical Physiology. Elsevier.
Provides an in-depth examination of the digestive system’s anatomy, motility, and absorption processes.

Furness, J. B. (2006). The Enteric Nervous System. Blackwell Publishing.
Explores the coordination of the enteric nervous system in regulating digestion and gut health.

Alberts, B., Johnson, A., & Lewis, J. et al. (2014). Molecular Biology of the Cell. Garland Science.
Discusses cellular mechanisms underlying nutrient absorption and transport in the digestive system.

Digestive Evolution and Adaptations

Aiello, L. C., & Wheeler, P. (1995). “The expensive-tissue hypothesis: The brain and the digestive system in human and primate evolution.” Current Anthropology, 36(2), 199–221.
Explores how dietary shifts influenced the trade-off between digestive efficiency and brain size.

Ungar, P. S. (2007). Evolution of the Human Diet: The Known, the Unknown, and the Unknowable. Oxford University Press.
Reviews the evolutionary adaptations of the human digestive tract in response to dietary changes.

Wrangham, R. W. (2009). Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. Basic Books.
Investigates how cooking and softer foods shaped digestive system evolution.

Digestive Motility and Coordination

Gill, S., Rossi, M., Bajka, B., & Whelan, K. (2020). “Dietary fibre in gastrointestinal health and disease.” Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 17(2), 101–116.
This comprehensive review examines how dietary fibre affects gastrointestinal health, including its impact on peristalsis, nutrient absorption, and gut motility.

Huizinga, J. D., & Lammers, W. J. (2009). “Gut peristalsis is governed by a multitude of cooperating mechanisms.” American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 296(1), G1–G8.
This review examines the various control systems that regulate peristalsis in the gastrointestinal tract, including the roles of the enteric nervous system, interstitial cells of Cajal, and smooth muscle cells.

Gut Microbiota and Digestive Health

Turnbaugh, P. J., Ley, R. E., Hamady, M., et al. (2007). “The human microbiome project: Exploring the microbial part of ourselves.” Nature, 449(7164), 804–810.
Highlights the importance of gut microbiota in nutrient metabolism and digestive health.

Flint, H. J., Scott, K. P., & Duncan, S. H. et al. (2012). “Microbial degradation of complex carbohydrates in the gut.” Gut Microbes.
Discusses how gut bacteria support digestive processes by fermenting dietary fibre.

Sonnenburg, J. L. & Sonnenburg, E. D. (2019). The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health. Penguin.
Explores the relationship between gut health, microbiota, and overall digestive function.

Digestive Enzymes and Nutrient Absorption

Jenkins, D. J., Wolever, T. M., Taylor, R. H., et al. (1981). “Glycemic index of foods: A physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 34(3), 362–366.
Introduces the concept of glycemic index, highlighting the role of enzymatic activity in carbohydrate digestion, absorption, and subsequent metabolic responses.

Cummings, J. H., & Macfarlane, G. T. (1997). “Role of intestinal bacteria in nutrient metabolism.” Clinical Nutrition, 16(1), 3–11.
Examines the biochemical interactions between intestinal bacteria and digestive enzymes, highlighting their cooperative roles in nutrient absorption and systemic health.

Louis, P., & Flint, H. J. (2009). “Diversity, metabolism, and microbial ecology of butyrate-producing bacteria from the human large intestine.” FEMS Microbiology Letters, 294(1), 1–8.
Discusses the critical role of butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by gut bacteria, emphasising their influence on digestion, energy regulation, and systemic health.

Gut-Brain Axis in Digestive Coordination

Mayer, E. A. (2016). The Mind-Gut Connection. Harper Wave.
Discusses the bidirectional relationship between the gut and brain, focusing on digestive regulation.

Pavlov, V. A., & Tracey, K. J. (2005). “The vagus nerve and the inflammatory reflex.” Nature Reviews Immunology, 5(4), 318–328.
Discusses the role of the vagus nerve as a critical link between gut and brain, highlighting its role in modulating inflammatory responses and maintaining systemic health.

Cryan, J. F. & Dinan, T. G. (2012). “Mind-altering microorganisms: The impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
Examines how gut microbiota influence gut-brain signalling pathways involved in digestion.

Digestive System Resilience and Adaptability

Costantini, V., & Lemme, A. (2015). “The effect of dietary fibre on gut motility and transit time.” Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 49(6), 485–493.
Examines how dietary fibre influences gut motility and transit time, highlighting its essential role in optimising digestion and systemic metabolic health.

Vogel, V., & Sheetz, M. (2006). “Local force and geometry sensing regulate cell functions.” Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 7(4), 265–275.
Examines mechanotransduction processes, highlighting how physical forces like those generated by dietary fibre influence digestive efficiency and cellular function through biochemical signalling pathways.

Clinical Implications and Modern Challenges

Anderson, J. W., & Burkitt, D. P. (1979). “Dietary fibre: Its role in modern nutrition.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 74(1), 47–51.
Highlights the essential role of dietary fibre in digestive health, emphasising its protective effects against diseases resulting from modern fibre-deficient diets.

O’Keefe, S. J., Li, J. V., Lahti, L., et al. (2015). “Fat, fibre and cancer risk in African Americans and rural Africans.” Nature Communications, 6, 6342.
This study investigates how dietary differences between African Americans and rural Africans affect colon cancer risk. It highlights that low-fibre diets, common in Western dietary patterns, disrupt gut health and increase susceptibility to digestive diseases.

Di Ciaula, A., Garruti, G., Lunardi Baccetto, R., et al. (2017). “Bile acid physiology.” Annals of Hepatology, 16(Suppl. 1), s4–s14.
Reviews bile acid dysregulation, highlighting its systemic impact on digestive function, metabolic processes, and overall health.

Evolutionary Context of the Digestive System

Wrangham, R. W., Jones, J. H., Laden, G., et al. (1999). “The raw and the stolen: Cooking and the ecology of human origins.” Current Anthropology, 40(5), 567–594.
Discusses how cooking influenced the ecological and evolutionary shifts in human digestive adaptations, impacting energy acquisition and dietary efficiency.

Leonard, W. R., & Robertson, M. L. (1997). “Comparative primate energetics and hominid evolution.” American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 102(2), 265–281.
Compares the metabolic demands of digestive adaptations in humans and other primates, highlighting how dietary strategies influenced human evolutionary development.