Table of contents:
- 1. The digestive tract in the fetus is still very clean
- 2. Gastric acid can burn skin
- 3. You have detergent or cleansing soap in the stomach
- 4. Smelly farts due to bacteria in the intestines
- 5. The stomach is the second human brain
- 6. Saliva maintains oral health
- 7. Food does not require gravity to make it into the stomach
All food that enters the body will be digested and processed in various organs of the digestive system. Maybe without you knowing it, your digestive system is always working all the time, even though it's not a meal schedule. The digestive system actually has two main functions, namely, converting food into nutrients needed by the body and cleaning the body from substances that are no longer used. To perform this task, the digestive system has various organs that have their respective duties, namely the mouth, throat, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus.
Maybe you already know that the human intestine is very long. But for what length? Do not be surprised if your small intestine is broken down and can fill a tennis court which has an area of about 260 m square. There are many other interesting facts about the digestive system, including the following:
1. The digestive tract in the fetus is still very clean
Bacteria are the main inhabitants of the human digestive tract. There are many types and amounts of bacteria that live in the intestines and help the body's digestive system. But it turns out that these bacteria were not there when you were still in the mother's womb. While in the womb, all the digestive tracts are very clean, bacteria start to appear during the birth process and in the days after birth.
ALSO READ: Diseases That Can Be Passed From Parent to Fetus
2. Gastric acid can burn skin
The stomach produces stomach acid which is responsible for breaking down incoming food and making it break down so that it is easy to digest. At least 2 liters of stomach acid is produced per day. Did you know that it is so acidic, stomach acid can cause the surface of your skin to burn. Then, why is the stomach still fine and not burning due to the stomach acid produced?
This happens because the stomach has a thick layer of mucus that functions to protect the surface of the stomach and prevent stomach acid from moving to other parts of the body. Sometimes, too much stomach acid that the body produces can rise up to the esophagus which actually doesn't have a thick mucus layer like the stomach. This condition causes feelings such as burning and burning in the esophagus and stomach (heartburn).
ALSO READ: 10 Foods That Often Trigger Stomach Acid Problems
3. You have detergent or cleansing soap in the stomach
In fact, in your digestive system, there are bile acids which are considered as detergents or cleansing soap in the body. Bile acids are fluids produced by the liver. Without this "detergent", you cannot digest and absorb the fat in food that enters the body. Bile acids work in the same way as detergents, namely "cleaning" the incoming fat mixed with liquid and then metabolized by enzymes and then absorbed into the blood vessels.
ALSO READ: Where Does Body Fat Come From?
4. Smelly farts due to bacteria in the intestines
Farts are normal for everyone. When you eat or drink something, you are also subconsciously swallowing the air around you. Gas from the air that enters through this mouth which then becomes fart. Basically, the smell of fart varies from person to person. The smell of fart turns out to be produced by good bacteria in the intestines. When food enters the intestines, the bacteria are responsible for digesting, breaking down, and absorbing nutrients from the food.
The process of digesting food by these bacteria causes the bacteria to produce these acids and acids that make farts smell. The heavier the bacteria work in digesting food, the more acid is produced. So, the fart that comes out will smell even more.
ALSO READ: 3 Causes of Excessive Farting You Need to Watch Out for
5. The stomach is the second human brain
It turns out, humans don't only have one brain. The intestine is also called the second brain of humans because it can detect what you are feeling and affect a person's cognitive abilities. In fact, in the intestines there are good bacteria that are directly related to the brain. When you feel stressed or tense, the brain will stimulate the good bacteria in the stomach and eventually a sudden feeling of nausea and heartburn will occur.
ALSO READ: A person's intelligence turns out to be influenced by his intestines
6. Saliva maintains oral health
Saliva is produced by the salivary glands as much as 1.2 liters per day. This saliva is protective, because it has a role to kill bacteria that are in the mouth. In addition, saliva also contains enzymes that are useful for breaking down food that enters the mouth. In fact, saliva also contains calcium and phosphate which functions to maintain strong teeth.
ALSO READ: 3 Natural Recipes to Whiten Yellow Teeth
7. Food does not require gravity to make it into the stomach
When you eat something, the food does not easily enter and fall into the stomach, because in this case gravity does not apply. The muscles in the throat perform a squeezing motion that aims to push food into the stomach. This movement is called peristalsis. Even if you eat upside down or in outer space - where there is no gravity at all - food can still enter your body.
ALSO READ: 10 Foods to Overcome Difficulty defecating
