Language
Country/Area
No result found
Do you know how your intestines magically move food? Uncover the secret of peristalsis!
A seemingly invisible but vital process takes place quietly in our digestive system: the muscular activity known as peristalsis. This movement works like a wave, coordinating every part of the intestine and pushing pieces of food that we might never think of moving smoothly along the intestine. This article will take you deep into exploring this mysterious physiological process and how it works inside our body.
Principles and functions of peristalsis
Peristalsis is a movement pattern of the intestines that features symmetrical contractions and relaxations. The main function of this process is to propel the food bolus (the ball formed during swallowing, called a bolus) and eventually convert it into the final digestive product - chyme.
Peristalsis is defined as "the contraction and relaxation of muscles that propels the body forward in a wave-like pattern through a tube."
The miraculous workings of the human body
In the human body, peristalsis occurs most commonly in the digestive system, specifically the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. In the esophagus, after food enters, the smooth muscle contracts behind the food to prevent the food from returning and quickly pushes the food into the stomach through a series of rhythmic unidirectional contraction waves.
In the esophagus, the main peristaltic wave propels food into the stomach within 8-9 seconds, and the wave continues even if food does not reach the stomach within this time.
Special functions of the esophagus
The peristalsis of the esophagus is divided into primary and secondary waves. The primary wave is initiated when food is swallowed, and if the food fails to go down smoothly, the secondary wave will push it forward. In some cases, these waves may be triggered by insufficient friction from the food, continuing to run until the food successfully enters the stomach.
Cooperation between stomach and small intestine
After food passes through the esophagus and into the stomach, the intestinal movement pattern deepens further. When the wave reaches the closed cardiac sphincter of the stomach, this sphincter opens, allowing the food to enter the stomach safely and mix with stomach acid to form chyme, a process that greatly promotes the digestion of food.
The peristalsis of the stomach allows food to be fully mixed with gastric acid, promoting digestion, and releasing chyme into the small intestine at regular intervals.
Challenges of the Small and Large Intestines
The peristaltic waves in the small intestine are slightly different, primarily mixing rather than propelling food. This means that the primary purpose of the small intestine is to fully digest and absorb nutrients, not just to push food further. After the small intestine, the resulting chyme will be pushed into the large intestine, where the contraction movement is mainly a rough mass movement, and its main function is to push the excrement into the rectum.
Other physiological phenomena
In addition to the digestive system, the principle of peristalsis is also present in other physiological processes. For example, a similar peristaltic mechanism is used in the lymphatic system to promote the flow of lymph. Of course, this mechanism has also been found in other animals. For example, earthworms can move by wriggling. This is not only reflected in biology, but also borrowed by modern mechanical design.
Mechanical Applications of Creeping
In the mechanical field, similar concepts are used in some devices, such as peristaltic pumps. These pumps are able to push liquids by compressing flexible pipes and also prevent the liquid from coming into contact with mechanical parts, which is very important in medical or chemical applications.
Thinking and Reflection
In general, peristalsis, a seemingly ordinary physiological process, actually contains a profound and sophisticated mechanism. Peristalsis plays an indispensable role in both the effective pushing of food and the coordination of physiological functions. This makes us wonder, are we no longer paying attention to these hidden processes in our daily lives, and how they silently affect our health and lifestyle?
