What type of digestion occurs in the stomach

Cell Introduction 2. Cell Structure 3. Membrane Structure 4. Membrane Transport 5. Origin of Cells 6. Cell Division 2: Molecular Biology 1. Metabolic Molecules 2. Water 3. Protein 5. Enzymes 6. Cell Respiration 9. Photosynthesis 3: Genetics 1. Genes 2. Chromosomes 3. Meiosis 4. Inheritance 5. Genetic Modification 4: Ecology 1. After ingestion and mastication, the food particles move from the mouth into the pharynx, then into the esophagus.

This movement is deglutition, or swallowing. Mixing movements occur in the stomach as a result of smooth muscle contraction. These repetitive contractions usually occur in small segments of the digestive tract and mix the food particles with enzymes and other fluids. The movements that propel the food particles through the digestive tract are called peristalsis.

These are rhythmic waves of contractions that move the food particles through the various regions in which mechanical and chemical digestion takes place. The simple molecules that result from chemical digestion pass through cell membranes of the lining in the small intestine into the blood or lymph capillaries.

This process is called absorption. The food molecules that cannot be digested or absorbed need to be eliminated from the body.

This is where the real action begins. This is where digestive juices and enzymes break down the food that you chewed and swallowed. It prepares it to provide your body with energy. The stomach makes several digestive juices and enzymes that mix with food. This process takes longer for some types of foods than others.

Carbohydrates, for example, break down the fastest. This explains why many recommend carb-heavy foods for a quick energy boost. Proteins take longer to digest and exit the stomach. Fats take the longest time of all. Zero-calorie liquids, such as water, empty the fastest from the stomach. Once the stomach completes its role in the digestive process, its contents slowly pass into a short tube at the base of the stomach.

This is called the duodenum. It's the first part of the small intestine. Here, the next stage of digestion takes place.