home Folk remedies What the human stomach cannot digest. Interesting facts about the stomach. Here are some common stomach myths and facts

What the human stomach cannot digest. Interesting facts about the stomach. Here are some common stomach myths and facts

The stomach of an ordinary adult is located immediately below the diaphragm and has a volume of one and a half to three liters. However, this elastic organ, resembling a bladder with folds, the usual length of which is 15-18 cm, transports more than 20 tons of food during a human life. What does a person need to know to ease the tireless work of the stomach? Is our knowledge correct or are we under the power of myths, often mistaking fiction for truth?

Doctors believe that a small educational program for each of us would be enough to prevent stomach diseases in the future. Let’s try to dispel a few myths circulating in society and find out the most important recommendations for keeping your stomach in “fighting shape.”

1. Is it true that reducing food consumption leads to a contraction of the stomach and, as a result, a person wants to eat less?

- No, the size of an adult’s stomach does not change; it can only be reduced surgically. But, despite this, with less food consumption, a person’s appetite regulator actually “reconfigures” over time; satiety arises from less food eaten.

2. Is it true that the size of the stomach is influenced by the structure of a person: the higher the weight and obesity, the larger and wider the stomach?

- No, the size of this organ has absolutely nothing to do with a person’s weight: people of different builds can have the same stomach size.

3. Are there ways to reduce the size of the stomach, for example, through special exercise?

- No, no amount of squats or “pumping” the press does not affect the size of the stomach, but it can get rid of belly fat and strengthen the abdominal muscles, which has a good effect on the internal organs.

4. Is it true that eating before bed causes obesity faster than the same amount of food eaten during the day?

- No, recent studies have proven that simply avoiding evening dinners is impossible to lose weight. The main rule when normalizing weight is universal: the body must effectively burn the calories received. Late-night snacking can have unpleasant consequences due to the imbalance of the body's circadian rhythms and hormonal imbalance. The result is an unmotivated increase in appetite and rapidly increasing obesity.

5. Is it true that legumes cause gas and nothing can be done about it?

- This is true, but only half. It all depends on a special enzyme, which some people have in excess, while others lack. Legumes have a high sugar content, and the body needs an enzyme to digest it. The less of it (enzyme), the more gases are formed in the intestines! Some drugs, freely sold in pharmacies, can reduce gas formation or destroy gas bubbles already formed in the intestines.

6. Is it true that the stomach changes its inner lining every 3-4 days?

- This is true. Stomach acid has such an aggressive consistency that it can even dissolve a razor blade! Along with the digestion of incoming food, stomach acid “washes out” the mucous membrane, renewing it in this way.

7. What are the main enemies of the stomach?

First of all, alcohol. It is this that causes a reaction in the stomach, during which increased production of hydrochloric acid begins, which can destroy the mucous membrane and burn the inner wall of the stomach.

8. Is it possible to get rid of heartburn by losing weight?

— Yes, when you lose weight, when excess fat leaves the stomach, heartburn also goes away, as the pressure on the stomach is relieved. During pregnancy, heartburn occurs as a temporary phenomenon during fetal growth. It is also worth remembering that heartburn can be caused by eating mint (it relaxes the sphincter muscles, allowing digested food to pass from the stomach back into the esophagus), soda (carbon dioxide increases acidity), butter, pepper and citrus fruits.

— Limit the consumption of alcohol, animal fats, as well as all acidic foods and those that can cause heartburn. It is advisable to eat cereals with a high gluten content: it protects the gastric mucosa from burns and irritations.

When the stomach is healthy, we don’t think about it. But as soon as it manifests itself with pain, bloating, heartburn, cramps, we begin to worry. Some women think about their stomach when they can't button their jeans. And others - if they cannot lose weight... The stomach is a pear-shaped organ made of muscle tissue located in the abdominal cavity under the diaphragm. Food enters the upper part of the stomach through the esophagus. The stomach secretes highly acidic digestive juice containing hydrochloric acid as well as enzymes such as pepsin. To prevent tissues from digesting themselves, the cells of the stomach walls are constantly renewed. After the food in the stomach is partially digested, it is pushed into the first section of the intestine - the duodenum, and from there to other parts of the intestine.

Here are some common myths and facts about the stomach.

1 Fact - The stomach can increase in size by 30 times.

This is true. The volume of an empty human stomach is about 50 cm3. When a lot of food gets into it, the volume can increase 30 times. This is why your belly gets bigger after a hearty meal. At the same time, with the emptying of the stomach, it returns to its original size.

2 Myth - Nervousness causes ulcers

Wrong - nerves have nothing to do with it. Stomach ulcers form when the walls of the stomach are damaged due to exposure to acid. Gradually the ulcer enlarges, causing pain, heartburn and bleeding. An ulcer usually occurs when the mucous membrane of the walls of the stomach or duodenum becomes inflamed. In recent years, it has been found that about 90% of ulcer cases are caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which can be treated with a certain medicine within 14 days.

3 Myth - If you eat less, your stomach shrinks

But no! Many are convinced that fasting or significantly reducing food intake will reduce the volume of the stomach. But the truth is that adults' stomachs always remain the same size. The only way to reduce it is surgery. Fasting or fasting does not reduce the size of the stomach, but it does reduce the amount of food consumed and changes the activity of hunger and satiety hormones so that the body experiences less hunger.

4 Myth – Thin people have smaller stomachs

This is an erroneous statement. It may be hard to believe, but there is no connection between a person's weight and the size of their stomach. Thin people can have big stomachs and vice versa. And people who have had their stomachs surgically reduced may gain weight again.

5 Myth - Digestion occurs mainly in the stomach

Wrong. It is generally accepted that the stomach is the main organ of the digestive system. This organ actually plays a large role in "mechanical digestion" - it takes large amounts of food and mixes it with gastric juice, physically breaking down the food into its components and turning it into a thick paste called chyme. But the stomach plays a fairly small role in chemical decomposition, the process that breaks down food into the molecular size necessary for nutrients to enter the bloodstream. Most of the digestion and absorption of nutrients occurs in the small intestine, which makes up about two-thirds of the length of the gastrointestinal tract. After the chyme is further broken down by powerful enzymes, the small intestine absorbs the nutrients and sends them into the bloodstream.

6 Fact - Losing weight will ease heartburn

Right. It is enough to lose a few kilograms to reduce the pressure on the stomach and the reflux of food back into the esophagus. The less acid that goes back into the esophagus, the less problems you will have with clearing it. And, believe it or not, losing just a pound of weight around your belly can make a difference—and the best proof of this is pregnancy. As the fetus grows and puts pressure on the internal organs, heartburn increases, but after the birth of the child and relief from the pressure, heartburn disappears. In the same way, losing weight in the abdominal area, even slightly, has the same effect. The very good news is that most people start losing weight around the abdomen, so you will see a positive effect on heartburn within just a few weeks of starting a weight loss program.

7 Myth - Exercise will reduce the size of your stomach

Wrong. There are no exercises that can affect stomach size. No exercise can change the size of the organ, but it will help burn the layers of fat that accumulate around the belly. It will also strengthen the abdominal muscles, which are located directly below the diaphragm, which contains the stomach and many other internal organs. Interestingly, the part of belly fat that causes the most harm is the one you don't see. It's found in what's called the "omentum," a sort of sheet that wraps around your internal organs. Abdominal exercises—lifting your torso from a lying position—will not get rid of belly fat on their own. The only way to reduce fat is to burn more calories than you consume in food.

8 Myth - Eating before bed contributes to obesity

Wrong. Obesity is the result of the overall daily caloric balance and is not dependent on the timing of meals. Moreover, a fatty meal containing 100 kcal is more satiating than a snack with the same 100 kcal, but low in fat. Fat stays in the stomach longer than carbohydrates and therefore makes you feel fuller for a longer time. Additionally, snacks containing simple sugars cause blood sugar and insulin levels to rise quickly and then fall quickly, leading to feelings of hunger and fatigue. Recent animal studies have shown that avoiding snacking after dinner can prevent weight gain. Eating at night can disrupt the body's circadian rhythm and change the levels of hormones that control appetite, ultimately leading to weight gain. In other words, it should remind us that when we're tired or nervous, eating right before bed can make digestion difficult, leading to gas, bloating, or heartburn. The gut has its own “brain” that helps make sure food moves through the digestive tract at the right pace and in the right quantity. When we get tired - for most it happens at the end of the working day - this "gut brain" also gets tired. So there is a certain decrease in the activity of moving food through the digestive system.

9 Fact - Foods that contain insoluble fiber (which does not dissolve in water) cause less gas and bloating than foods with soluble fiber (which does not dissolve in water).

Most people are surprised to discover that what they thought was a "softer" fiber—that is, soluble fiber—can actually cause more gas and bloating than insoluble fiber. Foods such as bran, beans and citrus fruits, which contain fiber that is not water-soluble, may cause less gas than foods with water-soluble fiber - whole grain bread, wheat cereal, cauliflower, wheat, beets and carrots. Gas and bloating occur when fibers are digested in water by bacteria. Water-insoluble fibers are not digested at all, they do not interact in any way with intestinal bacteria, so no gas is released.

10. Myth - Our stomach growls when we are hungry.

Wrong. The so-called gastric rumbles are the result of peristalsis of the stomach and small intestine. In other words, it is evidence of normal digestion, which occurs as food, liquids and gases pass through your gastrointestinal tract. When the digestive tract is empty, the sound is louder because there is nothing to muffle it. But why do the muscles contract if there is nothing in the digestive tract? After the stomach contents enter the small intestine, the digestive system sends signals to the brain, which responds by telling the digestive muscles to begin the process of peristalsis. Muscle contractions are needed to ensure that there is no excess food left in the stomach - as a result, a “false” signal is given that the body needs food.

Like every part of the human body, it is a complex part of the complex organic machine that is.

It accumulates and transforms incoming substances, participating in the important process of obtaining energy for the operation of the entire system.

When everything is fine with him, we don’t even pay attention to his daily tireless work. Here are some amazingly interesting facts about the stomach.

1. Contrary to popular belief, food that enters the body is digested in the small intestine, and not in the stomach, in which it is only mixed with acids and enzymes that separate foods into individual components. Then everything moves to the lower intestine, where, in fact, the absorption of useful substances occurs with the accompanying formation of waste products, which will be sent further to the “discharge site”.

2. There is a widespread myth that if you reduce the amount of food consumed at one meal, you can gradually achieve a smaller stomach, which will reduce the feeling of hunger and allow you to reduce your weight.

In fact, the stomach of an adult, having reached its current size, is not capable of contraction, so the only option for reducing an overly large stomach is surgery.

3. Another popular misconception is that there is an indispensable relationship between a person’s weight and the size of his stomach. But there is no direct connection here, and often a thin person may have a larger stomach than a full one. In general, the average stomach of an adult has a volume of approximately 1.5 liters.

4. Surprisingly, the human stomach can theoretically absorb a lot with proper training. A trained digestive system is able to determine which enzyme to use to break down a particular substance. So, a person is quite capable of digesting even pieces of a car tire without much harm to himself, another thing is that there are not many owners of such special stomachs.

But for the average person, eating not only rubber, but simply a large amount of spicy or fried food can have bad consequences, such as gastritis with high acidity or other unpleasant diseases. So it’s better not to test your stomach’s strength unnecessarily.

5. The internal cavity of the stomach is filled with hydrochloric acid, which plays a vital role in the process of processing incoming products. This stomach acid is produced in the parietal cells and interacts with the important enzyme pepsin, which is involved in the breakdown of proteins. In addition, it also works as an activator for additional enzymes that work to separate carbohydrates and fats. By the way, hydrochloric acid also plays an important role in maintaining an aggressive bacterial environment at the entrance to the stomach.

6. For some reason, many people are sure that exercise can shrink the stomach, but physical exercise cannot affect the size of organs. Although, of course, such exercises are very useful for people suffering from excess weight, as they can reduce the fatty membrane around the stomach and other organs, which interferes with their work.

7. The function of a fighter against harmful bacteria in the stomach is performed by the same essential hydrochloric acid, which destroys pests and, together with the protease enzyme, forms a special acidic environment.

8. The stomach is the most important organ of the digestive system and is located between the esophagus and the small intestine.

Proper digestion is the key to a healthy body, which requires a balanced complex of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates from foods. If the established mechanism fails, the negative state immediately affects the person’s well-being. To prevent the situation from becoming critical, it is important to respond to the first symptoms and carry out therapy on time.

When the stomach does not accept food, doctors talk about dyspepsia. Normally, the organ calmly digests food in a volume of 2–3 liters, dividing the incoming mass into fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. When a hunger signal is received, the glands located in the mucous membrane begin to actively produce hydrochloric acid, a substance that breaks down food. The digestion process takes from 2 to 5 hours. When the described mechanisms are disrupted, food is processed slowly, the stomach becomes bloated and heavy.

Symptoms of dyspepsia

If the stomach does not cope with its function, the following changes in condition occur:

There is a constant feeling of fullness.
Worries about nausea, heartburn, vomiting, belching. Possible “hunger” pains.
Due to the release of bile after eating, a burning sensation occurs in the chest area.
Even regardless of food intake, a painful spasm and heaviness appear in the upper abdomen. Discomfort may spread to the spine.
Due to the fact that food is delayed for digestion for a long period, appetite worsens, and satiety quickly occurs.

The so-called “lazy” stomach is diagnosed mainly in adults. The disease can develop in one of the following ways:

Ulcerative– a combination of heartburn, night or hunger pain, belching.
Dyskinetic– discomfort and heaviness are accompanied by a feeling of fullness.
Non-specific– a combination of the above types is observed.

Causes of poor digestion

Gastric dysfunction can be caused by various factors:

Lack of a balanced diet and proper nutrition.
Dry snacks, fast food abuse, overeating.
Constant stress.
Immunity to certain products.
The predominance of fatty, spicy, spicy foods in the diet.
Regular consumption of alcohol, which stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid.
Hormonal disbalance. The reason that food is not digested in the stomach is a violation of secretory function.
Late snacks as a result of which the main organ of the gastrointestinal tract does not have time to rest.

A poorly functioning tract may also be a consequence of insufficient metabolism, infection with bacterial flora, or decreased juice concentration. Regardless of the cause, you should not delay treatment for too long. It is important that the problem is solved comprehensively with correction of diet and lifestyle.

Why does the stomach not digest food?

Belching of rotten eggs, diarrhea and other symptoms of functional dyspepsia develop against the background of impaired motor activity. As a result of the loss of the digestive organ's ability to properly contract, foods are poorly crushed and are retained in the stomach longer.

Normally, the processed mass gradually moves through the gastrointestinal tract towards the colon. When activity decreases, fermentation processes are launched and the composition of the gastric and intestinal flora is disrupted. The consequence of such changes is a deterioration in the general condition.

How to help your stomach digest food

In order for food to begin to be processed in full again, you need to approach the problem responsibly (do not ignore the doctor’s recommendations). A set of all therapeutic measures is planned based on the collected medical history and research results. In some cases, the first step is fasting, then a medication regimen is prescribed.

Medicines

Different groups of drugs are indicated for the treatment of indigestion:

To eliminate diarrhea and cramps in the intestines, sorbents are used that envelop the mucous membrane of antacids. Almagel, Enterosgel, Smecta are recommended. They are also indicated when the cause of dyspepsia is poisoning.
So that the stomach can effectively digest food, use fermented drugs: Imodium, Linex, Mezim, Creon.
If the main symptom of dyspepsia is unbearable heartburn, you need to take acid-reducing drugs Gastracid, Gaviscon. Maalox, Ranitidine, Flemoxin also work well.
To relieve pain To restore muscle tone, they use the drugs Spazmalgon and Drotaverine.

Additional therapy is planned when a “lazy” stomach is a consequence of depression or prolonged stress. The main place is given to drugs to normalize the psycho-emotional state.

Folk remedies

You can help your stomach heal with the following recipes:

Drink made from cumin or marjoram. The medicine should be made every two days, pouring a glass of boiling water over the dry component and infusing the resulting product for 20 minutes. The product is taken once per day in a volume of 100 ml.
Fennel fruits (one pinch is enough) are brewed in 250 ml of boiling water and placed on low heat for 10 minutes. To ensure that incoming food is digested in a timely manner, the cooled and strained infusion is drunk in small sips throughout the day.
To prevent nausea, pour a teaspoon of dill grains into a glass of boiled water and leave in a warm place for half an hour. You need to drink the finished product after meals in a volume of 30 ml.
Elecampane roots crushed in a coffee grinder are poured with cold water and kept for at least 9 hours. The finished infusion is drunk three times a day before meals, 100 ml. Therapy is carried out in a course lasting one and a half to two weeks.
A collection is prepared from chamomile, mint, sage, and yarrow. A tablespoon of herbs is brewed in a glass of boiling water and drunk a quarter of an hour before meals. Frequency: three times a day. With regular use, it is possible to get rid of cramps forever.

If your stomach doesn’t work well or doesn’t digest food at all, you can use a recipe based on aloe and honey. The number of components is 370 and 600 grams, respectively; an additional half liter of red wine is added to the mixture. The medicine is ready for use after a week. They drink it twice a day, 10 grams. Duration of therapy is at least 21 days.

Another effective remedy is prepared by combining licorice and buckthorn roots, mustard, anise, and yarrow. All components are taken in equal quantities, 15 grams are measured and the mixture is poured with 400 ml of just boiled water. After infusing for half an hour, the medicine is drunk in the morning and evening before meals. Reception continues for two weeks.

Exercises

If the stomach begins to have difficulty digesting food, doctors recommend not only a certain drug regimen, but also special exercises that help restore the tone of the gastrointestinal tract. You need to perform therapeutic exercises two hours before meals. The result of regular training is the strengthening of the muscle frame in the diaphragm and abdominal wall. At the same time, the perineal tissues are involved in the process, so there is a complex positive effect. The initial and final stages of each session should be breathing exercises.

You should follow this sequence:

Breathing exercises that complement the exercises are mainly training the abdominal muscles, which are directly involved in the digestive process.

Prevention

Preventing dyspepsia is much easier than curing the disorder. For the proper functioning of the stomach and intestines, a number of principles are followed:

The diet is carefully controlled, excluding heavy, fatty, spice-rich foods.
They plan to lose weight or cleanse the body without using too strict diets.
Draw up nutritional plans with the correct ratio of fats, proteins, carbohydrates.
Include fruits and vegetables in the menu as priority products.
Food is minimally salted.
They reconsider their life position, excluding an acute reaction to stress and troubles.
The functioning of the main systems and organs is regularly checked - they undergo preventive examinations once a year.
If possible, give up bad habits, including smoking, drinking alcohol, cooking from processed foods, and overeating.

Preventive measures also include limiting caffeine consumption and avoiding late evening and night snacks. Neglecting breakfast also has a negative impact on the body’s condition.

It turns out that there are a lot of interesting things in this process!

1. Your digestive tract is a 9-meter long tube which begins in the mouth and ends in the anus.
2. The small intestine has so many folds, down to the most microscopic, that its total surface area is 250 square meters. That's enough to cover a tennis court.
3. Digestion begins before you even eat anything. The sight and smell of food triggers salivation and the production of digestive juices. As soon as the first piece enters your mouth, all digestive systems begin to actively work.
4. The ancient Roman physician Galen considered the stomach to be an animate being within us, which is “capable of feeling emptiness, which stimulates us to seek food.”
5. It takes us about 72 hours to digest a holiday dinner. Carbohydrates, such as various pies and baked goods, are digested first. Dry, overcooked protein (fried chicken) will come next, and fats will take the longest, including sauces and whipped cream from the cake.

6. A person eats on average about 500 kg of food per year.
7. The mouth has a neutralizing function. It either cools or warms food to a temperature that is acceptable to the rest of the digestive tract.
8. Every day we produce about 1.7 liters of saliva. The amount of saliva is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, which means that the process occurs automatically. This is why we produce saliva at the mere sight, smell or thought of food.
9. The muscles of the digestive organs contract in wave movements and this process is called peristalsis. It is thanks to this that food will get into a person’s stomach, even if he eats while standing on his head.
10. The stomach has a huge capacity. On average, an adult's stomach can handle about 1 liter of food.. 11. To digest food, you also need calories, which accounts for 5 to 15 percent of our energy expenditure. The most energy is required to digest proteins and alcohol.
12. Pica or perverted appetite is an eating disorder in which a person develops a need to eat inedible things such as paint, chalk and dirt. It occurs in 30 percent of children and the cause is unknown. There are suggestions that a lack of some minerals is to blame.
13. The main digestive juice is hydrochloric acid, which can dissolve metal, but plastic toys, pencils and hair come out the other end of the digestive tract almost unchanged.
14. What happens if you swallow gum? There is a myth that chewing gum remains in the stomach for 7 years before it is digested. It is not true. Our bodies really can't digest chewing gum, but it will pass through the stool relatively unchanged. In very rare cases, chewing gum too much and constipation can lead to a blockage in the intestines.

15. Most of the hormone serotonin - the main mood hormone - is produced not in the head, but in the stomach.
16. With pancreatitis, your body literally begins to eat you from the inside. The pain that comes with this, is due to the fact that fat-digesting enzymes leak from the pancreatic duct to other tissues, which actually eats you away.
17. Water, enzymes, basic salts, mucus and bile create about 7.5 liters of fluid that enters our large intestine. And only about 6 tablespoons come out of this whole mixture.
18. The liver is the laboratory of our body. It performs over 500 different functions, including storing nutrients, filtering and processing chemicals in food, producing bile, and many others.
19. The loudest belch that was recorded was 107.1 decibels, which can be compared to the volume of a chainsaw. Its owner was the British Paul Hann, who demonstrated his abilities on television.
20. Flatulence or intestinal gas is a mixture of swallowed air, gas produced by a reaction in the stomach, and gas produced by bacteria in the digestive tract. This mixture consists of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane.