We always talk about diabetes and its types. Sometimes we focus on each type and talk about precaution and treatment that you take. Here, we are not going to talk about it, in fact, we will tell you how the stomach and our digestive system work when we eat anything, although its also related to diabetes and blood sugar, but before you know that you should also know what happens in your stomach.
How the Stomach Functions
What exactly happens in our stomach when we eat? Even before we have taken the first bite of a meal, the brain sends impulses to the stomach. These impulses start the production of secretions in the stomach and the upper part of the stomach, which acts as a reservoir, expands. The food passes into the stomach through the cardia at the stomach entrance. This is a muscle that acts like a valve, closing the top of the stomach. The top part of the stomach, the fundus, is where food and the air that we swallow with every bite is collected. This is where the stomach volume starts to adapt. The fundus is an extremely adaptable structure.
The more food goes into the stomach, the more it actively expands. In the middle part of the stomach, called the body, gastric juice is produced and mixed with the mass of chewed food. The main component of gastric juice is gastric acid. This eliminates bacteria in the food and also helps to prepare the food for the following stages of digestion. The muscular contractions of the stomach wall churn the food mass and mix it with gastric juice. Three contractions per minute move the food mass back and forth.
After a certain time, the contents of the stomach are adequately broken down and mixed and are passed in small quantities into the intestine via the pylorus. As the stomach empties, it gradually returns to its previous size. Bayer – Science For A Better Life
How the Digestive System Works
How Digestive System works
Your digestive system consists of all the organs involved in breaking down the food you eat absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste products. When you take a bite of food your digestive system is activated automatically. In the stomach the food is broken down into smaller pieces and digestive juices are added. Then liquid food is passed on to the small intestine where the nutrients are absorbed and digested in the large intestine also called the colon water and salts are absorbed causing the waste products to become firmer and turn into stool. The stool is then pushed through the intestine towards the rectum by a series of muscle contractions known as peristalsis. You have three to four major peristaltic movements each day. The time it takes for food to pass through your digestive system is called the transit time. The average transit time for females is two point four days and one point nine days for males. When stool fills your rectum nerve, endings register that your bowel wall becomes distended and a signal is sent to your brain telling you that it’s time to find a toilet. At the same time your internal sphincter relaxes by reflex and stool moves down towards the anus. When you are ready, you consciously allow the external sphincter to relax and stool is expelled in between. Going to the toilet both the internal and the external anal sphincter are contracted to keep your continent and to prevent leakage.
