U.S. "Discover" Magazine Reveals 10 Mysteries About Digestion
Digestion is an important function of the human body, but how much do you really know about it? U.S. "Discover" magazine has summarized 10 key points for us in detail.
1. The digestive tract starts from the mouth and ends at the anus, with a length of about 10 meters. If the small intestine were to be unfolded, its total surface area could reach about 20 square meters, which is roughly the size of a tennis court.
2. The stomach is a semi-autonomous organ. If it feels hungry, it will prompt the animal to seek food.
3. Food eaten after a short holiday takes 3 days to digest. Among them, carbohydrates are digested first, followed by protein, and finally fats.
4. Feeling drowsy after a meal may be due to the tryptophan contained in the food. Protein in meat largely counteracts this effect, while high-sugar foods will enhance it.
5. Men have a higher alcohol tolerance than women because the enzyme in their bodies that neutralizes alcohol is typically only 60% of that in men.
6. Serotonin, which affects mood, is primarily formed in the gastric mucosa, not in the brain.
7. The human body also needs energy to digest food, accounting for 5%—15% of the body's total energy expenditure. Among these, protein and alcohol require the most energy for digestion.
8. The colon has a strong ability to absorb water. After injecting about 2 gallons of water, only about 6 teaspoons are excreted. This is also key to why many animals can live on dry land.
9. The main component of gastric digestive juice is hydrochloric acid, which can dissolve metals but is ineffective on plastic, wax, hair, and chewing gum.
10. The loudest recorded burp was 107.1 decibels, as loud as a chainsaw from about 1 meter away.