Digestive System:Stomach

After the food travels down the oesophagus, it goes into the stomach. The stomach continues to break down the food both physically and chemically.

Foods usually stay in the stomach, to get digested, for at least one hour. If the meal contained lots of fatty foods, the stay is usually longer as fats takes longer to break apart.

The stomach walls contains three layers of muscles. These muscles squirm and churn the food to turn it into a mushy soup called chyme.

The glands in the stomach lining contains parietal cells which make a powerful hydrochloric acid that kills the germs in unwisely taken contaminated food.

The hydrochloric acid, along with protein-splitting enzyme pepsin made by other cells in the stomach lining prevents the stomach from digesting itself. If there is too much acid or the mucous coat is deficient, the acidic contents of the food will erode raw spots in the stomach wall. These are called gastric ulcers.

Gastritis

Inflammation of the stomach. Caused by stress, fungi, alkalis, poisons and corrosives. To cure, one should take more vitamin A and E which is found in seeds, nuts, corn and fish.