The stomach is a muscular organ that digests food in animals and humans. The stomach stores and breaks down the foods and liquids we eat before they move on to digestion. In this article, we are going to discuss the structure of the stomach, the position of the stomach in the human body, how the stomach performs the digestion process, and some common and serious disorders related to the stomach.
In this article, we will read about what the stomach is, the workings, the layers and workings of the stomach, the functions of the stomach, and common disorders related to the stomach.
Table of Content
What is the Stomach?
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ. The stomach is a part of our digestive system, and its main functions are to store food temporarily, break down food, and produce enzymes and other cells to digest food. It takes food from the oesophagus, mixes it, breaks it down, and then transfers it on to the small intestine.
The stomach transfers food to the small intestine in an organised manner. It is part of our gastrointestinal tract. The entire digestive system is made up of one muscular tube extending from the mouth to the anus.
Anatomy of Stomach
The stomach is a thick-walled, J-shaped muscular sac. The anterior and posterior surfaces are smoothly rounded with a peritoneal covering. The stomach is located in the upper abdominal cavity below the diaphragm and a lobe of the liver on the left side of our body. The bottom of our stomach is connected to the small intestine. The top of our stomach connects to a valve called the esophagus sphincter. The stomach primarily lies in the epigastric and umbilical regions.
Our stomach expands when full and deflates when empty. When the stomach is empty, the inside has small folds called rugae. Rugae allow the stomach to expand to accommodate large meals. Rugae grips the food inside the stomach to help physically break it down. The stomach is further divided into four regions: Cardia, Fundus, Body and Pyloric antrum.
Cardia
Cardia is a part where stomach joins with esophagus. It is located at the bottom of the esophagus. Food and liquids initially pass through the cardia before entering the stomach. It is also known as gastric cardia. The cardia surrounds the lower esophageal sphincter where the esophagus enters the stomach, has large numbers of cardiac cells that produce mucus which acts to protect the esophagus from gastric acid.
Fundus
The fundus of stomach is a rounded section next to the cardia. Fundus is a dome shaped part of the stomach that stores gas from digestion. It also holds food when our stomach become full. The fundus of stomach lies in contact with the left dome of the diaphragm.
Body
It is the largest section of our stomach. In the body, our stomach contracts and begins to mix food.
Pyloric antrum
It is the bottom part of your stomach. It includes the pyloric sphincter. This ring of tissue controls when and how the food and other contents stored in our stomach move to your small intestine.
Diagram of Stomach
Below is a diagram of a stomach which shows its different parts:
Layers of the Stomach
Stomach consist of four main layers. The four main layers of Stomach are mucosa, submucosa, muscularis externa and the serosa.
- The innermost layer is mucosa which is covered by epithelial tissue and is mainly comprised of gastric glands that secrete gastric juices.
- Submucosa is the second layer which supports the mucosa. It is rich in blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves.
- Muscularis is the third layer of stomach and is made of thick muscles. They help to mix food with the digestive juices.
- Serosa is the last and outermost layer of our stomach. It’s the lining that wraps around the stomach to confine it.
Working of the Stomach
The primary function of stomach is to store the food and helps in its digestion. When we consume anything it passes to stomach through oesophagus. The stomach temporarily stores the food and creates digestive juices and breaks down food. Our stomach contract and relaxes to mix and break down food. Our stomach holds food until it is passed in into our small intestine.
Also Read: Digestion Of Food
Functions of Stomach
The functions of the stomach are mentioned below:
- The primary function of Stomach is to store and digest food.
- Stomach temporarily stores food and liquid that we consume.
- Stomach produces hydrochloric acid and enzymes which help in digestion of food.
- Stomach secretes gastric juice.
- After digestion, the stomach sends food to small intestine.
- It regulates the rate and delivery of partially digested food to small intestine.
- Stomach helps in the absorption of small quantities of water and dissolved substances.
Common Disorders Related to Stomach
When we eat too much (more than our capacity) or eat nothing, chemical imbalances occur in our stomach. There are many other reasons for chemical imbalances. As the chemicals in the stomach work due to a subtle balance, many common problems can arise with the stomach. Some common disorders related to the stomach are nausea, vomiting, indigestion, heartburn, etc. Some serious disorders related to the stomach are mentioned below:
Peptic ulcer disease
Peptic ulcer disease is a condition in which painful sores or ulcers develop in the lining of the stomach. The thick layer of mucus protects the stomach lining from the effects of its digestive juices. The most common cause of peptic ulcers is infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. The main symptoms related to peptic ulcers are burning stomach pain, intolerance of fatty acids, nausea and feeling of fullness, and bloating.
Stomach (gastric) cancer
Stomach cancer is also known as gastric cancer. Stomach cancer is cancer that starts in the cell lining of the stomach. It can happen in any part of the stomach. In most of the world, stomach cancers happen in the main part of the stomach. This part is called the stomach body. Stomach cancer is most often seen in people in their late 60s and 80s.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Reflux occurs when stomach contents, such as food, acid, or bile, move back into our esophagus. When this happens twice a week or more, this condition is known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Treatment involves over-the-counter remedies and dietary changes. Severe cases require prescription medication or surgery.
Conclusion – Stomach
Stomach is an essential part of humans and other living organism. The primary function of stomach is to store the food and breakdown it with the help of several enzymes and digestive juice. After digestion, the stomach sends food to small intestine. It is a J-shaped organ. Without stomach one cannot imagine the life. It is important to keep our stomach healthy. One should always avoid drugs and other non-nutrition foods which affect our stomach badly.
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FAQs on Stomach
Is the Stomach on the Right or Left side of the body?
The stomach is located on the side of our body. The top of our stomach is connected to esophageal sphincter and bottom of the stomach is connected to small intestine.
How many Gastric glands are Present in the Stomach?
There are three gastric glands present in our stomach. The cardiac gastric glands are located at the beginning of the stomach, the intermediate in the central stomach areas and the pyloric glands in the ending part of stomach.
Which Region of Stomach is Continuous with the Esophagus?
Stomach is connected with the esophagus at the point known as cardia, through which food passes to the stomach.
What is the Shape of the Stomach?
The stomach is a thick-walled, J-shaped muscular sac. It is present on the left side of the upper part of the abdomen. It is a bag-like structure.
Why is the Stomach so Important?
Stomach helps in digestion process. Our stomach temporarily store food. It helps in breaking down and absorption of nutrients from food we consume. It also produces enzymes and other specialized cells to digest food.