How does the stomach handle liquid vs solid food?
I've read the the stomach must secrete HCl and pepsin to break down food. If I have an empty stomach, then drink a large amount of liquid, I wonder if the liquid passes quickly, or gets processed in the same amount of time as solid food.
So how does the stomach handle an environment of pure liquid, versus an environment of solid foods.
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More stuff = More time
The stomach has sensory capabilities that help determine the nutritional content of what it receives. This allows it to "taste" and decide what it needs to add to the "stirring pot" to get cooking. When the stomach receives traditional foods like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, it adds protein-digesting enzymes such as pepsin and hydrochloric acid (HCL) to break down the nutrients for absorption in the intestines.
(This is why we consume fluids and light carbs on an upset stomach- we want to prevent the stomach from getting aggravated and overworked or even inflamed.)
The more complex the food, the longer it stays in the stomach. So protein can take hours while simple carbohydrates like white bread or sugar could take just half an hour or less. Liquids like tea, juice, and alcohol tend to be even less complicated, water least of all- taking possibly just minutes to start passing into the blood stream if there is no food in the stomach and fully entering the blood stream within 1-2 hours.
If there happens to be food already in the stomach, the liquid must wait until the stomach finishes digesting the food to enter the small intestine along with the broken-down food. This is why health centers often advise alcohol consumption with food. Food will slow the emptying of the stomach into the small intestine, where alcohol absorption is very rapid.
References are respective to order of mention.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stomach#Stomach_as_nutrition_sensor www.uhs.wisc.edu/health-topics/digestive-system/upset-stomach.shtml http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=275 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21997675 http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/alcohol,tobacco,&_other_drugs/alcohol/alcohol_&_your_body.php
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