Drinking coffee, both regular and decaffeinated varieties at any temperature, increases your body’s production of gastrin, which is a hormone that stimulates the secretion of gastric acid in your stomach. Gastric acid is necessary for proper...
Your digestive system is tasked with taking the food and beverages you consume and breaking them down into simple compounds that your body can use for energy and tissue repair. These compounds are absorbed in the intestines and then sent to other...
The gastrointestinal, or GI, tract produces and secretes a wide array of peptides that act as hormones, coordinating and regulating the activities of the digestive system. The cells that secrete GI hormones reside within the lining of the...
Hydrochloric acid found in the stomach, sometimes called gastric acid, helps digest food and also destroys many of the bacteria that enter the stomach. When food enters the stomach, acid production normally increases. Gastrin, a hormone produced...
Your digestive juices are secretions in your gastrointestinal system that help your body to break down the nutrients in food for absorption in your small intestine. The active component of digestive juices in your stomach is hydrochloric acid,...
Your gastrointestinal system breaks down the food you eat into minute molecules that pass into your bloodstream and nourish your body. The acid produced by your stomach aids in the physical breakdown of food and the digestion of protein. Several...
In the digestive tract, the stomach is a container that acts as a "grinder." It grinds and mixes food into smaller particles that are easier to digest. The stomach also releases gastric acid, or stomach acid, which chemically breaks down food....
Glycine and tryptophan are types of amino acids. Glycine is a type of conditional amino acid so your body usually only needs it during moments of illness or stress, says MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. Tryptophan is an...
Gastrinoma, known more commonly as Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome, is a condition in which your small intestine produce excess amounts of the hormone gastrin. This is caused by the development of tumors called gastrinomas in the pancreas or small...
Stomach acid is an important part of the digestive system. Stomach acid serves to help break down food, but it also can be used to activate digestive enzymes, which are special proteins that help break down some of the components of food. These...
Damiana, also known botanically as Turnera diffusa, is a part of the Turneraceae family. It is a small shrub that has tiny aromatic blossoms during the months of June through October. According to David Hoffman in his book "The Complete...
Your body needs to digest the food you eat before nutrients from the food can be absorbed into the blood and carried to cells. Although there are more than two dozen hormones found in the gastrointestinal system, gastrin, secretin and...
The process of digestion depends on the synchronized teamwork of organs, specialized mucosa, glands and muscles. Each feature of the digestive tract plays a role in the breakdown of the food you eat into a form that your body can use as...
Stomach ulcers can vary on their location, type, and etiology. Stomach ulcers fall under the broader category of peptic ulcer disease. A peptic ulcer is a tear in the mucosa that can develop in the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum. They can be due...
Pepsin is a key ingredient for a healthy digestive process. Its effectiveness in breaking down food in the stomach relies on a precise system of environmental controls preserving optimal pH levels. Barring certain medical conditions, this system...
Pepsin, classified as an enzyme, performs important digestive functions. Digestion describes the process by which the digestive tract breaks down food particles into smaller molecules the body can absorb. Digestion occurs through mechanical...
Acid reflux occurs when food and stomach acids come back up the esophagus, generating a painful, burning feeling in the esophagus and upper-chest area, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Many times the acidic...
The pancreas and the liver both have important roles in the digestion of food. When you eat, signals from your digestive tract activate both of these organs to secrete the substances needed to digest food. These chemicals must only be secreted...
Stomach acid is primarily made up of chloride and hydrogen ions (the latter of which are often referred to as protons). It is the protons that make the contents of the stomach acidic. Because there is a higher concentration of protons in the...
Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, also called ZES is a condition in which small tumors in the pancreas or duodenum cause an increased production of the hormone gastrin. High levels of gastrin cause production of excess stomach acid, which can lead to...
Medications that decrease acid production are referred to as acid blockers. H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors comprise this category of drugs. The H2 blockers hinder the histamine receptors located on the acid producing cells found in the...
Hydrochloric acid, also called HCl, is a clear, highly corrosive liquid. HCl is one of the many chemicals released in our stomach when we eat a meal. The role of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, along with the other gastric juices, is to break...
Your stomach secretes a variety of fluids that aid in digestion, including stomach acid. Stomach acid is composed primarily of hydrochloric acid, making the stomach a very acidic environment with a pH of 1 to 2. The body closely regulates the...
Diarrhea is a symptom that indicates a problem with absorption of nutrients in the intestines. If the cause of diarrhea is not identified, prolonged diarrhea can lead to weight loss. Diarrhea can be caused by infectious microorganisms,...
Stomach acid is primarily composed of a substance called hydrochloric acid, which is made by cells in the stomach called parietal cells. According to Colorado's State Pathology Department, stomach acid is notable for its high concentration of...
Dysfunction in any of the glands that make up the endocrine system can cause negative effects that impact the body’s various organ systems. The pituitary, pineal and hypothalamus glands in the brain send messages to the body by increasing...
The esophagus primarily serves to pass food to your stomach, which breaks down the food. To do so, the stomach secretes acid, produces a lubricant to protect itself from the acid, kills bacteria, starts the process of digesting proteins and...
Blood glucose is a term that describes the amount of sugar, or glucose, that enters your bloodstream from the various foods in your diet. Persistent high levels of glucose in your blood can expose you to serious health risks from a condition...
The digestive system, which consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anus, liver, pancreas and gall bladder, functions to breakdown food particles, move the contents through the digestive tract and...