Take a look at a digestive system illustration for men and women, and it'll likely look identical. Everyone has a gastrointestinal tract that runs from the mouth to the anus. It's how humans process and digest food to obtain nutrients and stay healthy.

For the most part, the digestive process is the same for women and men. Both sexes have the same organs and functionality. However, subtle differences do exist.

The Esophageal Sphincter

Believe it or not, the first difference is at the start of the digestive process! When you swallow food, it passes through the esophagus and esophageal sphincter before reaching the stomach. The esophageal sphincter keeps the esophagus closed, ensuring that stomach acid doesn't flow back up.

So what's different between men and women? Women's esophageal sphincter closes with much greater force. As a result, they experience a lower chance of heartburn and esophageal damage.

The Digestive Timeline

Another difference between male and female digestive systems is how long the process takes. This isn't something you typically see in a digestive system illustration, but it's a significant variance.

Men usually digest food much faster. The process takes approximately 33 hours. For women, the same digestive process lasts for roughly 47 hours.

This difference doesn't seem like it would matter much. But the lengthier processing time can cause trouble in women. Women are more likely to experience bloating, nausea and other similar issues. They also feel full for much longer than men after eating a meal.

The Colon

After the stomach does its job, food moves through the intestines and into your colon. Here's where another difference lies.

Women have a longer colon than men. Furthermore, it takes longer for waste to pass through. This timeline, paired with how long it takes for the stomach to empty, shows why women take longer to digest food.

Because it takes longer for waste to move through the colon, many women experience constipation. Females are more likely to get chronic constipation, suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and experience the sudden urge to "go."

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Emily Clarke writes about scientific tools allowing researchers and educators to easily create stunning scientific illustrations and diagrams in just minutes. You can find her thoughts at scientific illustrations blog.