The
stomach is an organ located in the
alimentary canal. Its job is often confused with
that of the intestine. Our stomach is not responsible
for absorbing
nutrients from digested food like the intestine is.
Its primary function is to quite simply digest whatever
it is that we decide to eat.
Located between the
esophagus and the first part of the small intestine,
the stomach is a highly acidic environment containing
many digestive
enzymes. The interior of the stomach is able to
secrete about 2 to 3 litres of gastric fluid every day.
It is a large organ that is multichambered, and hosts
bacteria which produce the necessary enzymes for the
digestion of cellulose from plant matter. The stomach
will regurgitate and rechew plant matter at least once
during the digestion process of sequentially passing
food through the stomach's chambers.
Stomach's are divided into five sections, each of
which having different functions and cells.
Gastric juice in the stomach keeps a
pH level anywhere between 1 and 3. The pH scale is a
way of determining how acidic a substance is. The larger
the pH level, the less acidic a substance is. Sometimes
the highly acidic gastric juice eats away at the stomach
wall or its layer of mucus, causing what is called an
"ulcer".
Common diseases that occur in the stomach are a
Curling ulcer,
Cushing ulcer,
Stomach cancer,
Gastritis, Linitis plastica, Peptic ulcer, Zollinger-Ellison
syndrome, Cardia, Gastric acid, Gastric distention,
Monogastric, Nasogastric tube,
Peptic ulcer,
Stomach ache, Stomach cancer, and Borborygmi.
"Gastric-" or "Gastro-" are latin names for the stomach,
which are commonly used in any medical term concerning
this organ.
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