Food is complex process, as a result of which they enter, digest and absorb necessary for the body substances. Over the past ten years, a special science dedicated to nutrition—nutritionology—has been actively developing. In this article we will look at the process of digestion in the human body, how long it lasts and how to manage without a gallbladder.

The structure of the digestive system

It is represented by a set of organs that ensure the absorption of nutrients by the body, which are a source of energy for it, necessary for cell renewal and growth.

The digestive system consists of: the mouth, pharynx, small intestine, colon and rectum.

Digestion in the human oral cavity

The process of digestion in the mouth involves grinding food. In this process, energetic processing of food with saliva occurs, interaction between microorganisms and enzymes. After treatment with saliva, some of the substances dissolve and their taste appears. Physiological process digestion in the oral cavity consists of the breakdown of starch into sugars by the amylase enzyme contained in saliva.

Let's follow the action of amylase using an example: while chewing bread for a minute, you can feel a sweet taste. The breakdown of proteins and fats does not occur in the mouth. On average, the digestion process in the human body takes approximately 15-20 seconds.

Digestive department - stomach

The stomach is the most wide part digestive tract, which has the ability to increase in size and can accommodate huge amounts of food. As a result of rhythmic contraction of the muscles of its walls, the process of digestion in the human body begins with thorough mixing of food with gastric juice, which has an acidic environment.

Once a lump of food enters the stomach, it remains there for 3-5 hours, during which time it is subjected to mechanical and chemical treatment. Digestion in the stomach begins with exposure of food to gastric juice and the hydrochloric acid that is present in it, as well as pepsin.

As a result of digestion in the human stomach, proteins are digested with the help of enzymes into low molecular weight peptides and amino acids. The digestion of carbohydrates, which begins in the mouth, stops in the stomach, which is explained by the loss of amylases’ activity in an acidic environment.

Digestion in the stomach cavity

The process of digestion in the human body occurs under the influence of gastric juice containing lipase, which is capable of breaking down fats. At the same time great value is given to hydrochloric acid of gastric juice. Under the influence of hydrochloric acid, the activity of enzymes increases, denaturation and swelling of proteins is caused, and a bactericidal effect is exerted.

The physiology of digestion in the stomach is that food enriched with carbohydrates, which remains in the stomach for about two hours, undergoes an evacuation process faster than food containing proteins or fats, which lingers in the stomach for 8-10 hours.

Food that is mixed with gastric juice and partially digested, being in a liquid or semi-liquid consistency, passes into the small intestine in small portions at simultaneous intervals. In which department does the digestion process still take place in the human body?

Digestive department - small intestine

Digestion in the small intestine, into which the bolus of food enters from the stomach, has the most important place, from the point of view of the biochemistry of the absorption of substances.

In this section, intestinal juice consists of alkaline environment due to the arrival of bile, pancreatic juice and secretions of the intestinal walls into the small intestine. Digestive process in the small intestine, not everyone goes away quickly. This is facilitated by the presence insufficient quantity lactase enzyme, which hydrolyzes milk sugar associated with the indigestibility of whole milk. During the digestion process this department In humans, more than 20 enzymes are consumed, for example, peptidases, nucleases, amylase, lactase, sucrose, etc.

Activity this process in the small intestine depends on three intersecting sections of which it consists - duodenum, jejunum and ileum. IN duodenum Bile formed in the liver is released. Here food is digested thanks to the pancreatic juice and bile that act on it. This colorless liquid contains enzymes that promote the breakdown of proteins and polypeptides: trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, carboxypeptidase and aminopeptidase.

Role of the liver

An important role in the process of digestion in the human body (we will briefly mention this) is played by the liver, in which bile is formed. The peculiarity of the digestive process in the small intestine is due to the assistance of bile in emulsifying fats, absorbing triglycerides, activating lipase, also helps stimulate peristalsis, inactivate pepsin in the duodenum, has a bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect, increases hydrolysis and absorption of proteins and carbohydrates.

Bile does not contain digestive enzymes, but is important in the dissolution and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. If bile is not produced enough or is secreted into the intestines, then the processes of digestion and absorption of fats are disrupted, as well as an increase in their excretion in their original form with feces.

What happens in the absence of a gallbladder?

The person is left without the so-called small sac, in which bile was previously deposited “in reserve.”

Bile is needed in the duodenum only if there is food in it. And this is not a constant process, only during the period after eating. After some time, the duodenum is emptied. Accordingly, the need for bile disappears.

However, the work of the liver does not stop there; it continues to produce bile. This is exactly why nature was created gallbladder so that the bile secreted between meals does not deteriorate and is stored until the need for it arises.

And here the question arises about the absence of this “bile storage”. As it turns out, a person can do without a gallbladder. If the operation is performed on time and other diseases associated with the digestive organs are not provoked, then the absence of a gallbladder in the body is easily tolerated. The timing of the digestion process in the human body is of interest to many.

After surgery, bile can only be stored in bile ducts. After bile is produced by liver cells, it is released into the ducts, from where it is easily and continuously sent to the duodenum. Moreover, this does not depend on whether the food is taken or not. It follows that after the gallbladder has been removed, food must be taken frequently and in small portions for the first time. This is explained by the fact that there is not enough bile to process large portions of bile. After all, there is no longer a place for its accumulation, but it enters the intestine continuously, albeit in small quantities.

It often takes time for the body to learn to function without a gallbladder and to find the necessary place to store bile. This is how the digestion process works in the human body without a gallbladder.

Digestive department - large intestine

Leftovers undigested food are advancing in large intestine and stay there for approximately 10 to 15 hours. Here the following digestive processes take place in the intestines: absorption of water and microbial metabolization of nutrients.

In digestion, food plays a huge role, which includes indigestible biochemical components: fiber, hemicellulose, lignin, gums, resins, waxes.

The structure of food affects the speed of absorption in the small intestine and the time of movement through the gastrointestinal tract.

Some of the dietary fiber that is not broken down by enzymes belonging to the gastrointestinal tract is destroyed by microflora.

The large intestine is the site of formation feces, which include: undigested food debris, mucus, dead cells of the mucous membrane and microbes that continuously multiply in the intestines and which cause the processes of fermentation and gas formation. How long does the digestion process in the human body last? This is a common question.

Breakdown and absorption of substances

The absorption process occurs throughout the entire digestive tract, which is covered with hairs. On 1 square millimeter of mucous membrane there are about 30-40 villi.

In order for the process of absorption of substances that dissolve in fats, or rather fat-soluble vitamins, to occur, fats and bile must be present in the intestines.

Absorption of water-soluble products such as amino acids, monosaccharides, mineral ions occurs with the participation of blood capillaries.

U healthy person The entire digestion process takes from 24 to 36 hours.

This is how long the digestion process in the human body lasts.

Stomach, muscular and secretory digestive organ, connected at one end to the esophagus and the other to the duodenum ( top part small intestine). It is located on the top left side abdominal cavity and is the widest section of the digestive tract.

Anatomy. The size, shape and position of the stomach can vary significantly depending on constitutional characteristics, body position and tone abdominal wall. Normally, the stomach has a J shape and a volume of 1000 to 1500 cm3. Its upper concave contour is called the lesser curvature; the lower convex contour is three times longer and is called the greater curvature. There are usually three parts: cardiac (located closer to the heart), including the area of ​​the cardial opening and the fundus (vault) of the stomach; middle, or body; and pyloric, or pyloric. At the junction of the stomach and esophagus, the cardiac sphincter is located, while the pyloric sphincter closes the exit to the duodenum. There is usually a small gas bubble at the entrance to the stomach.

The wall of the stomach consists of four layers. The innermost, mucous membrane, contains many glands that secrete digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid and mucous secretion. The pyloric glands also secrete the hormone gastrin, which increases the secretion of hydrochloric acid. The second layer, the submucosa, consists of loosely intertwined elastic fibers. connective tissue and contains nerves, blood and lymphatic vessels. The third membrane, smooth muscle, consists of three layers, and muscle fibers The outer layer is longitudinal, the middle layer is circular, and the inner layer is oblique. The fourth layer, serous, covers most of the stomach and connects the muscular layer with the peritoneum.

A high level of secretory and mechanical activity of the stomach requires good blood supply. Blood flows through the gastric arteries, which are branches of the celiac trunk. Main outflow there's blood coming out through the portal vein to the liver. The activity of the stomach is regulated by autonomic nervous system; its parasympathetic department is presented here vagus nerve, and the sympathetic - by the branches of the celiac plexus.

Physiology. The stomach has secretory and mechanical functions. The bottom serves mainly as a reservoir for swallowed food, where it softens and becomes saturated with gastric juice. Peristalsis in this section is weak. By the time food reaches the stomach, it has already been processed by saliva, under the influence of which starch digestion begins; it continues for some time in the stomach until the acidity of gastric juice stops this process. Mental factors have a significant influence on the secretion of gastric juice; It is well known that due to shock or strong experiences, this secretion can be suppressed or stop altogether.

Gastric juice contains hydrochloric acid in a concentration of 0.04–0.2%, digestive enzymes, sodium and potassium chlorides, nitrogen-containing substances and phosphates. The mucous component of gastric juice (mucin) protects the gastric mucosa from self-digestion. Besides, gastric juice acts as an antiseptic. Its digestive function is to soften fiber fibers and begin to digest proteins, converting them into peptones. The secretion of gastric juice has a certain connection with hematopoiesis, since it affects the absorption of iron and vitamin B12.

The mechanical function of the stomach is expressed in the active peristaltic movements of the pyloric cave, where food is mixed, soaked and prepared for release into the duodenum.

Pathology. The stomach is subject to a number of functional and organic disorders. Among them are disorders of gastric secretion (increased or low acidity), gastritis, peptic ulcers and cancer.

According to medical statistics, half of humanity on Earth faces gastrointestinal diseases. The most commonly diagnosed and most common of these is, of course, gastritis, which can occur due to nervous overstrain, poor nutrition or inflammatory processes and infections in oral cavity and nasopharynx.

The branch of medicine that deals with problems of the gastrointestinal tract is called gastroenterology. A doctor specializing in this area is a gastroenterologist. Into his sphere medical duties includes the study of anatomy, physiology and possible diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, his activities cover the study of narrow areas of diseases of organs and parts of the gastrointestinal tract:

• Gastrology studies stomach problems.
• Esophagology deals with problems of the esophagus.
• Hepatology is intended to study diseases of the biliary tract, gallbladder, and liver.
• Enterology for the study of diseases of the small intestine.
• Proctology studies problems of the rectum.
• Coloproctology examines problems of the rectum and large intestine.

Despite this coverage possible diseases Gastrointestinal tract, gastroenterology as a separate branch of medicine was identified only in the 19th century; before that, problems of the gastrointestinal tract were dealt with by therapy, although references to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are still present in ancient treatises of healers. Their transcripts indicate that a person already had diagnoses of gastrointestinal diseases, which in our time have names: gastritis, ulcers, dysbacteriosis, enterocolitis and others.

Only the invention of the endoscope by the scientist F. Bozzini in 1806 allowed the science of gastroenterology to take off. new level and make many discoveries for doctors in this area. Like the discovery of bacteria Helicobacter pylori scientists B. Marshall and R. Warren, awarded Nobel Prize. It is these previously unknown bacteria that provoke the occurrence of chronic gastritis, stomach ulcers and malignant tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. Data Russian Association gastroenterology is disappointing; they say that 80% of the Russian population is infected with these bacteria.

The delicacy of gastrointestinal diseases, in most cases, does not allow patients to consult a gastroenterologist on time, and this means finding the right ways to solve the problem. We hope that our section of articles - All about gastrointestinal diseases, will help you assess the severity existing problem, take advantage of the proposed methods for the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and, of course, consult a gastroenterologist in a timely manner, leaving inappropriate doubts and embarrassments.

Gastrointestinal tract and bacteria - informational video

Health

When it comes to the stomach and digestive system people, many myths and assumptions appear, experts say. Do you know the truth?

Our stomach can cause a lot of discomfort if it is not working properly. Discomfort is often associated with heartburn or grumbling after eating our favorite foods. Perhaps we are worried about bloating and cannot fasten the fly of our jeans.

Experts say most people know very little about their stomachs and how they work. digestive tract, and this is one of the reasons that sometimes it can be quite difficult to solve emerging health problems.

"There are some pretty common misconceptions about stomach health, so most of the time people don't know how to solve the problem.", - speaks Mark Moyad, doctor, director of the department of preventive and alternative medicine Medical Center University of Michigan.

Gastroenterologist David Greenwald from Medical College Albert Einstein agrees with him: “Sometimes what seems like a serious and daunting problem is actually something very simple and easily solved if you separate fiction from fact.”

1. Fact or Fiction: The digestive process occurs exclusively in the stomach

It's a myth . The main process of digestion actually occurs in the small intestine. The food enters the stomach, is mixed and crushed into tiny pieces, turning into food gruel. This pulp enters the small intestine in small batches, where it is digested.

Refuting popular opinion, experts say that food does not begin to be digested immediately after it enters our stomach. In fact, the stomach only prepares food for digestion.

2. Fact or Fiction: If you reduce the amount of food you eat, your stomach will shrink and you will want to eat less.

It's a myth . When a person becomes an adult, the size of his stomach no longer changes, unless, of course, he undergoes surgical intervention to reduce it.

Eating less may prevent your stomach from contracting, but it may help reset your "appetite regulator," Moyad says.

Therefore, you will not feel very hungry even if you start eating less.

3. Fact or Fiction: U skinny people stomach is smaller than that of obese people

It's a myth . Although it may be hard to believe, the size of the stomach does not correspond to a person's overall weight.

People who are naturally thin may have exactly the same stomach size as those who struggle with overweight all my life.

Even if you have surgery on your stomach and reduce it to size walnut, this does not mean that you will not gain weight.

4. Fact or Fiction: Squats or ab crunches can reduce the size of your stomach

This is a myth."No amount of exercise can make your stomach smaller, but it can help you get rid of layers of belly fat. Plus, exercise helps strengthen your abdominal muscles, which is good for your internal organs.", says Moyyad.

Interestingly, belly fat can cause a lot of problems, including fat that we don't actually see. This fat accumulates in the form of inner layers and surrounds internal organs.

Overweight people have a lot of fat between their internal organs. In fact, sometimes the liver becomes so "packed in fat" that it leads to a certain form of hepatitis, in special cases she refuses altogether, experts say. Good news is that proper nutrition not only helps control the appearance of visible fat, but also prevents the inner layers of fatty tissue from appearing.

5. Fact or Fiction: Foods high in water-soluble fiber cause bloating and gas in the intestines, while foods high in insoluble fiber usually do not cause these problems.

This is true . Fiber is dietary fiber, which are found in most plants. It is she who is the basis cell walls in plant organisms. Fiber plays important role in the life of the body, contributing good digestion. Many people don't know that there are different types of fiber. Water-soluble fiber is found in foods such as oatmeal, legumes, peas and citrus fruits - these foods are more likely to cause bloating and gas than foods with insoluble fiber - whole bread grains of wheat, wheat, cabbage, beets and carrots.

Gas and bloating occur because your intestinal flora needs to digest soluble fiber.

Since insoluble fiber is not digested at all, but simply passes through gastrointestinal tract, it does not interact with flora, so gases are not formed.

6. Fact or Fiction: To get rid of reflux disease ( sour belching) just lose a little weight

This is true. The less acid enters the esophagus, the less problems.

You may not believe it, but it’s enough to remove it extra kilos from the stomach, and the result will be immediately felt.

During pregnancy, the baby grows and puts pressure on the internal organs, this can cause heartburn, but after childbirth, when the pressure goes away, the heartburn goes away.

The good news, experts say, is that if you lose weight first, you'll be free of heartburn within a few weeks.

7. Fact or Fiction: If you eat at night, you'll gain weight faster overweight than if you eat the same thing during the day

This is a myth. Most experts believe that we gain weight because we consume more calories than we expend. And although it seems quite logical that the food we eat during active day burns faster and is more effective than the food we eat before bed; weight gain does not depend on the time of day. Whether you gain excess weight or not depends on how efficiently you spend your calories.

Recent animal studies have shown that avoiding eating in the evening may not help you lose weight. Eating at night can disrupt our body's circadian rhythms, altering the hormones that control appetite, causing us to gain weight.

Also, if you are tired or stressed, digestion is difficult before bed and you may experience bloating, gas, or heartburn. Our digestive canal has its own “brain”, which helps food move through the digestive system correctly and efficiently. the right amount. If we are tired, and this happens to almost everyone after a whole working day, the “brain” of our intestines also gets tired, so it reduces the number of contractions, this, in turn, does not allow food to be properly digested.

8. Fact or fiction: Cookies with 200 kcal butter will control your appetite more than 200 kcal cookies without butter

This is true . The reason is that fats are digested much more slowly than carbohydrates and remain in the stomach longer, which means we will feel full longer if we eat cookies with butter.

Moreover, Moyyad emphasizes that simple carbohydrates(cookies, bread or pastries) quickly increase blood sugar and insulin levels, which quickly decrease, leading to mood and appetite swings. You'll get hungry quickly.

9. Fact or Fiction: Legumes cause gas in everyone, and there's nothing you can do about it.

It's a myth...sort of . Legumes contain a lot of sugar, which requires a certain enzyme to be digested. "Some people have a lot of this enzyme, others have a little. The less enzyme you have, the more gases will form in the intestines after eating legumes.", say the doctors.

Research has shown that some over-the-counter medications that add an enzyme may help reduce gas after eating legumes and other gas-producing vegetables if consumed before meals. You can also get rid of already formed gases using drugs containing Simethicone (Espumizan), which promotes the destruction of gas bubbles in the gastrointestinal tract.

To digest foods, the human body spends different amounts of time. The duration is affected by the type of food, its texture, composition and the way it is combined with other substances. Easily digestible food provides a person with quick energy; digested slowly - a long-lasting feeling of satiety. Unconsciously choosing unsuccessful combinations of products complicates the work of the stomach, which can provoke complications.

How does digestion happen?

Digestion of nutrients is an important process. With its help, it enters the body necessary microelements and vitamins. When food is digested, the necessary energy is released. The digestion process includes the following stages:

1. In the mouth, food is crushed by the teeth. Saliva is released, which begins the breakdown of nutrients.
2. The crushed food enters the pharynx, then the esophagus, and then into the gastrointestinal tract.
3. The human stomach continues to break down nutrients. With the help of muscular walls, food is retained in the stomach, then the gastric muscles push part of the food into the intestine.
4. The glands of the mucous membrane secrete gastric juice that processes foods. The processed parts of substances pass from the stomach to the area small intestine, which forms loops in the abdominal cavity. The first loop is the duodenum, connected to the liver, which secretes bile, and the pancreas, which produces pancreatic juice.
5. Food elements are broken down in the cavity of the small intestine. There, the breakdown products are absorbed into the blood.
6. The undigested part of the products moves from the small intestine to the large intestine, where it first accumulates and is then eliminated from the body.

Duration of absorption

Each type of product has its own digestion time. Knowing this time is important to keep your health in good shape.

Carbohydrate foods are absorbed the fastest.

With the help of knowledge you can prepare useful and delicious dishes. Nutritionists divide foods according to digestion time into the following 4 groups:

• Carbohydrates. They have the fastest digestion speed - up to 45 minutes.
• Protein. It takes about 2 hours to digest them.
• A combination of fats and proteins. Absorption takes longer - up to 3 hours.
• Food that is poorly digested and takes a long time - from 3 hours, or does not dissolve at all and passes through the body in “transit”.

Nutrition rules

• There is no need to mix foods that take different times to digest.
• Food should be chewed, crushed and treated with salivary enzymes.
• It is important what temperature the food is. The gastrointestinal tract processes cold food faster, absorption is impaired, and hunger appears faster.
• When adding fats and oils, the duration of digestion increases by 2.5-3 hours.
• Boiled and fried products lose some of their beneficial properties, the stomach works 1.5 times longer.
• If the food has not yet been digested, adding liquid reduces the content of gastric juice.
• When drinking water on an empty stomach, it immediately enters the intestines.
• At night, the body, including the gastrointestinal tract, rests, so evening products digested in the morning.

What foods are not digestible or are poorly digested?

If you wash down your food with coffee, it will not be absorbed.

Often the stomach does not digest food at all. Indigestion occurs when consuming foods such as:

• water;
• black tea;
• any coffee, including with milk;
• paper;
• starch;
• gelatin;
• yeast.

The food indicated in the table takes a long time to digest:

Reasons why food is poorly digested in adults and children

The digestion time of food increases if it is pre-heated.

Products dissolve easily and quickly if there is no heat treatment and no sugar or fats are added. Reasons for indigestion or prolonged absorption:

• simultaneous consumption of food, the processing of which requires different amounts of time;
• adding fats or oils.

In these cases, the body cannot digest normally nutrients. Fats create a film that repels gastric juice and prolongs the time it takes to process food. The person feels heaviness in the stomach and has no appetite. A simple combination of products according to heat treatment time and restriction in fats and oils helps to improve overall well-being.

An important point is the age of the person. Basically, in an adult, food is digested from 15 minutes to several hours, in children infancy The stomach is still poorly developed; it can only absorb milk - breast milk or artificial milk from the formula. Digestion in the gastrointestinal tract in a child under one year of age lasts up to 3 hours. This explains the need for frequent feeding.

Some people experience diarrhea after eating. They assimilate food, but it is not digested. This dangerous symptom for the body. When diarrhea is a consequence of eating stale food, it goes away within 2 days. If symptoms persist, you should discuss this with your doctor, as loose stools Severe dehydration may occur.

Olives bring many benefits to the body.

Olives or olives with pits are very useful. In them high content vitamins, microelements, antioxidants. It is recommended to eat 10 fruits on an empty stomach, as well as olive pits. This helps to get rid of problems with the gastrointestinal tract. The consumption of olives is normalized metabolic processes. Regular olive food (fruits and oil) has a positive effect on the heart and blood vessels.