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Digestion: 8 interesting things you should know 16th July, 2014 By Hello Doctor 1/3 Your digestive systemthings is oneyou of the most interesting systems Here are 8 important need to know about and yourcomplex digestive system.in your body. Defying gravity When you swallow food, the food is passed through the oesophagus and enters the stomach. The food is passed down to the stomach by an involuntary muscle action called peristalsis. It’s a well-coordinated series of muscle contractions that moves food along the digestive tract. Due to peristalsis, food will always be pushed to the stomach, even if you were to eat upside down. The Expanding Stomach The stomach resembles a sack and can actually expand to four times its usual volume. The total capacity of an adult stomach is about 1 litre of food. Starting With Saliva Saliva forms a very important part in digestion. The enzymes in saliva help assist in the breakdown of certain proteins in food, making it easier for you to chew and swallow. When you chew food properly, it becomes mushy and paste like and often forms a ball, called a bolus. Detoxing People do not need to go on detox diets, because the liver does that for you. Every tiny bit of food and drink that is put into the body is filtered by the liver. The liver is one of the most crucial organs in the body, and is also the only organ that can regenerate if some part of it is removed. Following extreme detox diets may hurt the liver and its ability to cleanse the body properly – don’t be fooled by detox diets. Colon And Large Intestine Many people refer to the large intestine and the colon as one in the same, however, the colon is just one part of the large intestine. It has many separate parts, starting with the caecum, appendix, colon, rectum and ends with the anus. Flatulence Is More Than Air Flatulence is a combination of air that has been swallowed; gases formed during digestion, such as methane and nitrogen; gases created by bacteria in the intestines and gas reactions for the acid in the stomach. The noise made when passing gas is determined by the force with which it is released and the tightness of the anal sphincter. Original Purpose Of The Appendix The appendix is often seen as a useless organ, but it did have a purpose many, many years ago. Scientists believe that when our ancestors still relied on plants as their sole source of nutrition, the appendix helped breakdown a type of protein called cellulose. Over time, humans adapted to eat meat and slowly the appendix shrank and became non-essential in human digestion. 2/3 Heavy Liver According to Medicine.net, the human liver is the heaviest organ in the body, weighing in on average 1.6Kg.The liver is also said to have over 500 different functions. Like what you’ve read? Visit www.hellodoctor.co.za for more. Want to TALK TO A DOCTOR? Subscribe today! It’s easy! Download the Hello Doctor app from your mobile app store to get started. 3/3 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)