Stomach

The stomach is a muscular organ between the esophagus and small intestine. It stores food, mixes it with acid and enzymes, and releases the resulting mixture for further digestion.

Gastric acid: A hydrochloric-acid-rich secretion in the stomach that creates a highly acidic environment. It denatures food proteins and helps activate the stomach’s protein-digesting enzymes.
Esophagus: A muscular tube that carries swallowed food from the throat to the stomach. It delivers food through the stomach’s entry point, the lower esophageal sphincter.
Gastric emptying: The passage of stomach contents into the duodenum, regulated by stomach contractions and intestinal feedback. Its timing determines how quickly a meal becomes available for intestinal digestion.
Small intestine: The digestive organ extending from the stomach to the large intestine, where most nutrient absorption occurs. Unlike the stomach’s mixing and early digestion, it performs most nutrient absorption.
Helicobacter pylori: A bacterium that colonizes the stomach lining and can cause gastritis, ulcers, and stomach cancer. Its survival in gastric conditions reshaped explanations of ulcers and remains a focus of research.
Pepsin: A stomach enzyme that breaks proteins into smaller peptides. The stomach’s acidity activates pepsinogen into this protein-digesting enzyme.
Lower esophageal sphincter: A muscular valve between the esophagus and stomach that helps limit backward flow. It separates the stomach’s acidic contents from the esophagus.
Gastroscopy: An examination of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum using a flexible camera passed through the mouth. It lets clinicians inspect the stomach lining and take tissue samples.
Large intestine: The final major section of the digestive tract, which absorbs water and forms stool. It handles intestinal residue rather than storing and acidifying a meal.
Gastric microbiome: The community of microorganisms that inhabit the stomach. Its composition and effects are less well characterized than those of intestinal microbial communities.

Linked from 14 pages