Five Facts About the Digestive System You Didn’t Know Yet

On the way from the mouth to the anus, various processes ensure that the food is digested and important nutrients are absorbed. It is usually automated but it takes a lot to keep the digestive system healthy. Here are five facts about the digestive system you did not know yet.

Digestion begins in the mouth. Those who chew food sufficiently and salivate it relieve the strain on the digestive system. The salivary glands produce around one to two liters of saliva every day. In addition to mucins and antimicrobial substances, saliva also contains amylases. These enzymes start the digestion of carbohydrates in the mouth. You need to understand things like these about the digestive system to ensure a healthy lifestyle as well as weight loss.

Here are some facts about our digestive system.

1. Those Who Chew Well Lose Weight More Easily – Facts About the Digestive System

The better and longer you chew, the easier it is to digest. Those who chew well can even lose weight much better than people who gulp everything they eat. It is because you automatically eat more slowly and feel the feeling of fullness before the second portion lands on the plate. It takes around 15 minutes for you to feel full.

2. Food Lies in the Stomach for Up to Seven Hours – Importance of Digestive System

The chewed food can stay in the stomach for up to seven hours. It depends on the type of food. While drinks pass the stomach after about an hour, milk, rice, potatoes, and white bread take up to two hours. Cream, egg, and mixed bread take about three hours.

Vegetables, whole grain bread, fried potatoes, and poultry lie in the stomach for up to five hours. It takes the longest to process fatty foods such as cheese, nuts, and mutton. These foods can lie in the stomach for up to seven hours before they enter the small intestine.

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3. Food Intolerance Occurs in the Small Intestine

At up to five meters, the small intestine is the longest section of the gastrointestinal tract and is supported in its work by the pancreas and the bile from the liver. The food pulp is broken down further in the small intestine and food components such as carbohydrates, amino acids, fats, vitamins, and trace elements enter the blood through the mucous membrane.

Food intolerance has its origin in the small intestine. Among other things, this is where the enzyme lactase is found, which is necessary for breaking down milk sugar. How much fructose can be broken down is also decided in the small intestine. Celiac disease, the intolerance to the adhesive protein gluten, manifests itself in a chronically inflamed small intestine.

4. Up to Half of the Stool is Bacteria – Facts About the Digestive System

The indigestible food residues end up in the large intestine. Water and salt are removed from them and the stool thickens. What many people don’t know is that up to half of the stool is made up of bacteria. There are around 1.5 kilograms of bacteria in the intestine.

Due to a large number of bacteria, the intestinal flora is very active and, depending on the food consumed, can cause gas, diarrhea, and constipation. There are also dead intestinal cells in the stool. The entire lining of the intestine is renewed every three to six days.

5. The Anus Has Two Sphincters

The undigested food residues collect in the 20-centimeter long rectum. Two sphincters and the hemorrhoids work together to keep everything tight. When the rectum fills, stretch receptors become active. The nerve impulses open the internal sphincter muscle and create the feeling of having to go to the toilet. Also, the inner sphincter provides important information about the structure of the stool.

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The external sphincter supports the internal sphincter. It remains closed until the brain or the consciousness gives the start signal for emptying the signal. Then you can excrete consciously. Another important part is the hemorrhoids that everyone has. The well-perfused vascular cushions prevent stool from escaping unintentionally. Only when hemorrhoids enlarge do they cause discomfort.