Gut Basics
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The Stomach: Your Mixing Chamber
Your stomach is a muscular J-shaped organ that serves three main functions:
1. Storage
- Holds 1-1.5 liters of food
- Releases slowly into intestines
2. Mixing
- Churns food for 2-4 hours
- Creates liquid mixture called "chyme"
3. Chemical Breakdown
- Secretes hydrochloric acid (pH 1.5-3.5)
- Produces pepsin enzyme for protein digestion
- Kills harmful bacteria
Key Point: The stomach is highly acidic by design. Acid isn't the enemy—it's essential for digestion and protection. Symptoms like heartburn usually result from acid going where it shouldn't (up into the esophagus), not from having too much acid.
Common problems:
- Delayed emptying (gastroparesis) → nausea, early fullness
- Acid reflux (GERD) → heartburn, regurgitation
- Insufficient acid (hypochlorhydria) → poor protein digestion, bloating
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