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The stomach can hold almost 2 liters of fluid. It stretches over the course of eating. The stomach processes food into pulp, it is in it that the digestion of what we eat takes place. Find out how the stomach works.

The stomachis like a chameleon, because it changes its shape and position every now and then. When we stand, it resembles a thick hook curved to the left. When we are satisfied, it will turn into a balloon. If we are hungry,stomachlies almost in the middle, in the so-called solar plexus, but when we take it, it bulges under the left hypochondrium. This sack-like organ can hold about 1.75 liters of liquid and crushed food. If it is stretched beyond measure in obese patients, it can be reduced without harm to he alth. The surgeon pierces the stomach with the so-called staplers, i.e. mechanical seams resembling office staplers, either puts a silicone band on it or cuts a part of it. A part of the stomach is also removed in the case of cancer of this organ.

Stomach structure

Thinking "bottom", we imagine something at the bottom. Meanwhile, the stomach surprises us completely, because it lies upside down. This means that its bottom is closest to the esophagus. Then there is the body of the stomach and the pyloric part. The place where the esophagus meets the stomach is called the cardia. The sphincter operating here allows drinking and shredded food into the stomach, but it does not allow the so-called backflow. food back into the esophagus. This is what happens when the sphincter is working well. If it is too strong - we have problems reaching the stomach, and if it is too loose - the food content is thrown into the esophagus (i.e. gastroesophageal reflux) and the food comes to the throat. pylorus. It is responsible for the fact that the digestive tract works in one direction, so that the digested food from the duodenum continues to travel through the small intestine, and not back up. The sphincter and pylorus therefore play a similar role to the valves in the heart. The stomach has many important neighbors. The liver was seated at the front and slightly above it, while at the back there was the spleen, left kidney, pancreas and transverse colon. Unfortunately, the stomach is not always a nice neighbor. It happens, for example, that a stomach ulcer damages the wall of the pancreas or duodenum.

Important

Gastroscopy

No belly cutyou can look at the stomach during a contrast test or gastroscopy. First you have to swallow the so-called Baryta mash, which is a contrast that fills the stomach. Then the radiologist takes an x-ray. An experienced specialist can immediately tell if, for example, there is a tumor in the stomach, unfortunately, we must first swallow a thin, flexible tube equipped with a mini-camera. It is thanks to her that the gastrologist can see any part of the stomach interior on the monitor. During gastroscopy, you can also take an excerpt from suspicious places of the mucosa. This allows you to precisely recognize ulcers, detect their culprit (e.g. Helicobacter pylori bacteria), and also distinguish peptic ulcer disease from stomach cancer.

gastric juices

How is it that hydrochloric acid does not eat holes in the stomach? Well, when we look at the gastric mucosa under a microscope, we can see that it is not smooth. The gastric fields and the villous folds are separated by the dimples of the stomach. In these dimples there are gland orifices in which hydrochloric acid and the enzyme pepsin are produced. It digests proteins. Both of these substances make up gastric juice. Juice does not harm the stomach for two reasons. First, pepsin is produced in the form of an inactive precursor - pepsinogen, which is activated by hydrochloric acid only after it passes through the mucosa into the stomach. Secondly, the cells of the membrane stick tightly to each other, and the membrane itself is covered with a protective "lubricant", so that the acid cannot penetrate back into it. Theoretically, sometimes security guards fail and hydrochloric acid destroys the mucosa. Erosions form, followed bystomach ulcers>> .

The inside of the stomach is lined with the mucosa, from the outside it is covered by the serous membrane, and the muscle is located between them. The stomach is part of the digestive system, which is a pipe 7-8 meters long. When we swallow a drink or a food that is ground and mixed with saliva, it moves through an esophagus of about 25 cm and goes to the stomach. The main task of the stomach is digestion. It already begins in the oral cavity with the initial decomposition of starch. When the digested food enters the stomach, it rhythmically contracts and relaxes, allowing the food to crumble and move towards the duodenum. It is a mechanical part of the digestive process. The chemical is that increasingly liquid food mixes with gastric juice. Its ingredients, pepsin and hydrochloric acid, prepare the food for further processing in the duodenum and then in the intestines.

How does digestion work in the stomach?

The stomach converts food into pulp. It passes slowly into the duodenum, where digestion is in full swing.The pancreatic juices and enzymes flowing into it cause the proteins and carbohydrates to break down. The bile produced in the liver causes the fat balls to turn into microscopic particles. It digests (see digestion>> ) then eats the pancreatic enzyme - lipase. Rhythmic contractions (so-called peristalsis) of the muscles of the small intestine cause the digested food to move through the intestine, which is lined with a hair-thick villi. Bits of digested food penetrate the villi and enter the network of blood and lymph vessels beneath them. Thanks to them, the food components we need for life spread to all cells of our body. On the other hand, undigested debris travels to the large intestine and is excreted outside. The average digestion time of various foods is 24 to 36 hours.

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Category:

Gastrology