Structure of the stomach and its functions

The stomach (Latin gaster, ventriculus) is an extension of the gastrointestinal tract, forming a kind of reservoir in which the collected food is digested. It is on the left side of the body in the hypothalic region. The axis passed through the stomach is directed from above and to the left, to the bottom and to the right. By its appearance, the structure of the stomach is represented in the form of a hook or horn, although mainly its shape can vary. The length of the organ is usually 25-30 cm, and the width varies from 12 to 14 centimeters. Capacity depends on how much food there is. Nevertheless, its average volume is 1-3 liters.

The stomach is adjacent to many important organs of the abdominal cavity. In front there is a liver, behind the spleen, the left kidney and adrenal glands, the pancreas and the duodenum. Therefore, the painful processes in these organs can affect the stomach, although more often the opposite situation occurs, for example, when the stomach ulcer penetrates the pancreas.

The human stomach is an elongated and strong muscular organ, which has a fairly complex structure. The cardiac part, the bottom, the body and the pyloric part - this constitutes the structure of the stomach. The cardial opening is located near the heart, is the entrance of the esophagus into the stomach. The bottom is above the connection with the esophagus. The body of the stomach is the largest part of the organ, which borders on the bottom with the gatekeeper, and on top with the bottom of the stomach. The gatekeeper or pyloric part is a long canal, at the end of which there is an entrance to the duodenum.

The anatomical structure of the stomach is made up of three layers. On the outside for moistening, the body is covered with a serous membrane. The middle layer of the muscular shell consists of the outer longitudinal layer, the middle circular and the inner oblique layer. The deepest layer is the mucosa, which also forms the submucosa. All layers of the stomach fulfill a certain purpose. So, the serous membrane constantly produces a fluid to reduce friction between organs, the muscle layer provides the motor function of the stomach, and the mucus that envelops the walls of the stomach protects it from damage.

The stomach has a rather curved shape, but there is nothing special about this. The macroscopic structure of the stomach is baggy concavity, which is its upper point and is called the bottom of this organ. All food falls into this part of the stomach. Only after keeping a portion of food here, all the rest gradually moves to the lower part of the stomach for intensive digestion and sterilization with the help of gastric juice.

There are four main functions of the stomach: food grinding, sterilization, protein digestion and sugar absorption. The grinding of products is carried out both with the help of chemical processes, and with the help of muscle movements (mechanical processes). After eating, cuts in the stomach allow you to mix, grind and finally move small portions of contents into the small intestine. Much more important, however, is what is produced in the stomach and this is what determines its uniqueness. The contents of the stomach is a food mixed with digestive enzymes and gastric juice . The main components of the juice are hydrochloric acid and pepsin, but produce their stomach glands. Hydrochloric acid is aggressive for all parasites and bacteria, and is active only in very strong acidic media. It interferes with the absorption of sugar, which is produced from the first contact of food with saliva, because the acidic medium excludes the enzymes that are responsible for this. Such a killer mixture (fortunately, only for bacteria) effectively prepares food for further processing in the duodenum.