In anatomy, the stomach is an organ in the gastrointestinal tract used to digest food.

In general, the stomach's primary function is not the absorption of nutrients from digested food; this task is usually performed by the intestine.

In most animals, the main job of the stomach is to break down large food molecules into smaller ones, so that they can be absorbed into the blood more easily.

Latin names for the stomach include Ventriculus and Gaster; many medical terms related to the stomach start in "gastro-" or "gastric"..

For more information about the topic Stomach, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Digestion — Digestion is the process whereby a biological entity processes a substance, in order to chemically convert the substance into nutrients. Digestion ...  > read more

Cells of the stomach — Parietal cells (also called oxyntic cells) are the stomach epithelium cells which secrete gastric acid. Parietal cells produce gastric acid ...  > read more

Gastrointestinal tract — The gastrointestinal tract or digestive tract, also referred to as the GI tract or the alimentary canal or the gut, is the system of organs within ...  > read more

Saliva — Saliva is the watery and usually somewhat frothy substance produced in the mouths of some animals, including humans. Produced in salivary glands, ...  > read more

Related Stories

The Protein Hip1r Soothes The Stomach (June 5, 2008) — New data, generated in mice have defined a new role for the protein Hip1r in ensuring that cells in the lining of the stomach that are known as parietal cells function normally. One of the main ...  > read more

'Virtual Stomach' Reveals Central Road That Helps Explain Drug Activation Variability (September 24, 2006) — A computer model or "virtual stomach" revealed a central "road" in the human stomach, dubbed the Magenstrasse, that could explain why pharmaceuticals sometimes have a large variability in drug ...  > read more

Temple Using "Stomach Pacemaker" To Provide Relief For Chronic Nausea And Vomiting Associated With Gastroparesis (December 11, 2000) — Doctors at Temple University Hospital are using an implantable "stomach pacemaker" that applies small electrical pulses to the stomach to provide relief for people suffering from severe, ...  > read more

Gastrin Plays Significant Role In Helicobacter-induced Stomach Cancer (June 28, 2009) — Scientists have studied the role of Helicobacter infection in the development of stomach cancer, and found that the hormone gastrin, which stimulates secretion of gastric acid, plays a key role in ...  > read more

Gene That Helps Control Production Of Stomach Acid Discovered (November 4, 2008) — Researchers have discovered a gene that helps control the secretion of acid in the stomach -- information that could one day aid scientists in creating more efficient treatment options for conditions ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Stuff Your Face