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Stomach Digestion

There are a lot of things about digestion that you do not know. You may know how digestion works, but you may not know the different types of digestion (also called phases). Today we are going to talk about digestion and what it is. We are also going to get into what mechanical digestion is. Although this could be things that you already know, you may not know the actual terms for them.

First up for digestion we have mechanical digestion. This is the digestion that is done by a result of the mouth chewing up food. This is also called mastication. Pretty much, all mechanical digestion is, is where the food is actually manipulated by the tongue and ground by the teeth. It is during this time that the food gets mixed with saliva. As you can see, this is just the first phase of digestion, but it is one of the most important.

From there you have the cephalic phase. Out of all the types of digestion, this could be one of the most important. This is where the food enters into the stomach and is prepared for the rest of the body. There is not really any kind of absorption of nutritions here. That comes in other types of digestion. Really, this is just the break down of the food so that it can easily pass through the rest of the digestive track. The acid in our stomachs can break down protein. This helps for protein digestion later on down the road. The main thing that people ask is why the stomach acid not burn through the stomach. Pretty much because there is a special coating on it that keeps it from being torn through.

After that, the next type of digestion is known as the gastric phase. This phase takes about 4 hours to complete. This is where the stomach is stimulated by the presence of food and increases its pH. This is just a normal reflex that the body has. This stimulation releases more gastric juices, and the protein in the body then binds with hydrogen ions.

Last, but not least, you have the intestinal phase. This is a phase that actually has two different parts to it. These two parts are known as the excitatory and the inhibitory. Food that is only partially digested fills the duodenum. This triggers the intestinal gastric juices to be released. From here the pyloric sphincter tightens to prevent food from entering. Now the rest of the food can be absorbed the way that it needs to be.

Overall, the body needs all of these phases to make sure that you get everything out of the food that you eat. Just remember, no matter what you eat, the body is going to try it break it down. Thus, you are going to absorb whatever it is you chose to take in. Our digestive systems are not very complex at all. However, you should know the actual names of everything that is going on. Over time you will be able to learn more about the digestive system and just how it works. However, for now you have the basics that you need to know.