Delicious mouth, pay attention to why the stomach is not digesting itself

Can the stomach digest itself.

When talking about the structure and function of the stomach, one student asked, "The human stomach can digest the cow's stomach, so why can't it digest itself?" "This is an interesting question, so let's do some **.

The stomach has the function of digesting food, which means that the stomach can secrete gastric juice, and the hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice can activate pepsin and make it become pepsin, and pepsin can digest the protein in food. After the cow's stomach is eaten into the human stomach, the protein it contains is gradually digested by the digestive juices produced by the human stomach.

The stomach can digest all kinds of meat, but it is safe and sound. To this end, Professor Deben of the Department of Medicine at the University of Michigan in the United States has done an interesting experiment. He put the stomach that had been removed from the human body into a large test tube, then added an appropriate amount of hydrochloric acid and pepsin prepared according to the concentration of the normal human stomach, and placed the test tube in a constant temperature environment of 37.

As a result, the stomach in the test tube was severely damaged, and a considerable part was dissolved. This experiment shows that the stomach is unable to resist the digestion of hydrochloric acid and pepsin. Professor Deben's further research has shown that the stomach can be damaged, but it can also be easily repaired, and it is this mechanism that performs the important function of protecting the surface of the stomach.

He pointed out that the lipids on the surface of the cell membrane of the gastric parietal cells have a lot to do with defending against digestion, and if the lipids on the cell surface are removed with detergents, the gastric parietal cells will be attacked by acid. In addition, the cells of the stomach parietal are constantly renewed, and the old cells are constantly shedding from the surface and replaced by new cells within the tissue. Professor Deben estimates that about 500,000 cells are shed in the human stomach every minute, and the gastric mucosal layer is all renewed every three days.

So, even if the lining of the stomach is violated to some extent, it can be completely repaired within a few days or hours. So it's not that the stomach in the human body doesn't digest itself, but it renews itself as soon as it's digested to a certain extent.

There are also some scientists who have confirmed after years of research that the formation of local gastric ulcers is the result of the digestion of gastric wall tissue by gastric acid and pepsin; This process of self-digestion is the direct cause of ulcer formation; The digestion of gastric juice is one of the important factors in ulcer formation.

Therefore, they questioned Professor Deben's view: how can a stomach ulcer arise if the stomach is in a constant process of self-digestion and self-repair. Therefore, it is reasonable to think that the human stomach may have other mechanisms that prevent digestion of itself. What exactly are these mechanisms?

Scientists predict that the twenty-first century will be the century of biological sciences. So, as the biological sciences continue to evolve, scientists will give a clear answer to this question.

Because there is a gastric mucosa.

The gastric mucosa secretes alkaline substances that protect the lining of the stomach from being digested.

Second, improve the recipe. Don't eat things that aren't easy to digest. Such as peanuts, melon seeds, glutinous rice, fried food, eating some steamed buns, steamed buns, dumplings, noodles, boiled eggs, and milk for breakfast is easier to digest than eating fried dough sticks, hemp balls, and fried poached eggs.

Also, get up early to eat. Under normal circumstances, the time for breakfast should not be more than 8 o'clock, otherwise you will not be hungry when it is time for lunch. If you're hungry after 8 o'clock, it's good to eat less to fill your stomach.

For example, a 200ml bag of milk and two slices of bread will do, and a bowl of porridge will do.

Finally, strengthen your stomach motility and digestive habits. You shouldn't eat until you're hungry. If you meet all the above conditions, but you are still not hungry by noon, then you should force yourself to eat something at lunchtime, you don't have to eat very much, a little bit is also good, so that your stomach can adapt to your eating habits, and you will be hungry at the point.

In addition, it provides a digestive aid that is beneficial for indigestion or gastric motility. That is to press the palm of your hand on the junction of the stomach and esophagus. Rub clockwise or counterclockwise, feeling your stomach move faster under your kneading.

Soon you will feel a little better in your stomach. This method can cause indigestion or lack of gastric motility as well as mild bloating.

Our stomach does not digest itself, there is a substance in the stomach called gastric acid, which is produced to digest the food we eat, and when the food reaches the stomach, it will be digested by gastric acid.

Because the stomach secretes a lot of stomach acid and digestive enzymes to help break down and digest food, which is then absorbed by the intestines, and eventually the thing is digested.

Because there is a membrane in the stomach, it can effectively prevent stomach acid, burn the stomach, and then absorb food nutrients. If this membrane is injured, or if the stomach is broken, the gastric juice can be painful.

After people eat food, it is quickly digested by gastric juices. Gastric juice is very acidic, but it never digests itself, what is the secret? In fact, while digesting food, gastric juice also has a certain damaging effect on the stomach wall, that is, causing the death of some cells.

However, due to the strong regenerative capacity of the stomach, this damage is only temporary, and the stomach recovers quickly. According to the research data of Professor Deben of the Department of Medicine of the University of Michigan in the United States, the surface of the stomach can produce about 500,000 new cells every minute. In other words, it only takes three days to regenerate a new stomach.

However, because gastric juice can dissolve the tissue of the stomach within a few hours, it is not enough to fully compensate for the loss caused by the new cells produced. Therefore, you have to have other skills. Protective function The second function of the stomach is that the stomach wall is covered with a thick layer of epithelial cells called the gastric mucosa.

It is in direct contact with gastric juices, so that corrosive gastric juices cannot penetrate into the lining of the stomach. We know that if too much acid is produced in the stomach, it can lead to stomach ulcers. Due to its special protective effect, the gastric mucosa is protected from or only mild acid erosion.

Gastric juice is mainly composed of pepsin and hydrochloric acid. Pepsin is a protein that is a harmless digestive enzyme. However, hydrochloric acid is very corrosive and can easily destroy the tissue cells of the stomach.

Therefore, it is not enough to rely on the regenerative capacity of the stomach and the protective effect of the gastric mucosa. The epithelial cells of the stomach wall are also covered with a thin layer of carbohydrates, the so-called glycosome layer. It can further strengthen the protection of the stomach.

In addition, the lining of the stomach is covered with a layer of fatty substances called lipids. Such substances have a strong inhibitory effect on the hydrogen and chloride ions of hydrochloric acid, which is the third unique activity of the stomach to protect itself. In recent years, scientists have found that gastric mucosal epithelial cells can continuously synthesize and release endogenous prostaglandins, which have a significant protective effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa.

In addition, it has been shown that the gastrointestinal tract is the largest endocrine organ in the human body and secretes new hormones (all peptides).