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A hollow, sac-like organ connected to the esophagus and the
duodenum (the first part of the small intestine), the stomach consists of layers
of muscle and nerves that continue the breakdown of food which begins in the
mouth. It is also a storage compartment, which enables us to eat only two or
three meals a day. If this weren't possible, we would have to eat about every
twenty minutes.
The average adult stomach stretches to hold from two to three
pints and produces approximately the same amount of gastric juices every
twenty-four hours. The stomach has several functions:
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as a storage bin,
holding a meal in the upper portion and releasing it a little at a time into the
lower portion for processing; |
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as a food mixer, the strong muscles contract
and mash the food into a sticky, slushy mass; |
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as a sterilizing system, where
the cells in the stomach produce an acid which kills germs in "bad"
food; |
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as a digestive tub, the stomach produces digestive fluid which splits
and cracks the chemicals in food to be distributed as fuel for the body. |
The
process of digestion is triggered by the sight, smell or taste of food, so that
the stomach is prepared when the food arrives. Every time you pass a bakery shop
or smell your mother's good cooking, the body begins a digestive process. If the
stomach is not filled, these gastric juices begin eroding the stomach lining
itself, so fill 'er up!
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