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Gastric motility is the stomach’s coordinated muscle movement that processes food, mixing it and propelling it into the small intestine (duodenum) for digestion, involving relaxation to accept food, peristaltic waves to churn and break it down into chyme, and controlled emptying. This automatic process is controlled by the enteric nervous Read more

Gastrin and ghrelin are stomach hormones with opposing roles in digestion and appetite: Gastrin stimulates stomach acid (gastric acid) and enzyme production, promoting digestion, while ghrelin (“the hunger hormone”) stimulates appetite, promotes growth hormone release, and increases food intake, with levels rising during fasting and falling after meals. They interact, Read more

The stomach lining, or gastric mucosa, is the innermost layer of the stomach wall, composed of folded tissue (rugae) that expands and contracts, containing glands producing protective mucus, acid, and enzymes for digestion. This vital lining protects the stomach from its own harsh digestive juices and allows food to mix Read more

Pepsin is a powerful stomach enzyme (protease) that starts protein digestion by breaking large proteins into smaller peptides and amino acids, working best in the stomach’s acidic environment. Produced as inactive pepsinogen, it’s activated by stomach acid. While essential for digestion, its presence in the esophagus (due to reflux) can Read more

Chyme is the pulpy acidic fluid which passes from the stomach to the small intestine, consisting of gastric juices and partly digested food.

The upper abdomen is the area between your ribs and belly button, housing vital organs like the stomach, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, and parts of the small intestine, large intestine, and kidneys. It’s divided into sections, with the central top part called the epigastric region, where pain might signal issues Read more

The pyloric sphincter is a strong ring of smooth muscle acting as a valve between the stomach’s bottom (pylorus) and the small intestine’s first part (duodenum), controlling the release of partially digested food (chyme) into the intestine and preventing backflow into the stomach. It opens and closes involuntarily, regulated by Read more

Nausea is the unpleasant feeling of queasiness or sickness in your stomach that often precedes vomiting, accompanied by symptoms like cold sweats, dizziness, and pale skin, and can be triggered by illness, food poisoning, motion, pregnancy, medication, stress, or migraines, but usually resolves with bland foods, ginger, or rest; see Read more

Heartburn is a burning chest pain from stomach acid backing up into the esophagus (acid reflux), often after eating or lying down, with symptoms like a sour taste, bloating, burping, and coughing, triggered by fatty/spicy foods, smoking, stress, or being overweight. While occasional heartburn is common and manageable with lifestyle Read more

Hunger pangs are a natural physiological response to an empty stomach, characterized by a gnawing feeling, rumbling, or painful contractions in the abdomen. They are signals from the body to the brain that it needs nutrients or energy.