Digestive health centre

Nine surprising facts about your gastrointestinal tract

From those burning, churning feelings that erupt whenever we eat our favourite foods, to the bloating that keeps us from zipping up our jeans, to the wind that can make us the most unpopular person in the lift, our stomach and intestines can be the cause of some major inconveniences, if not some health concerns.

Still, experts say most people know painfully little about how their stomach and digestive tract operates; one reason that solving tummy troubles can seem much harder than it has to be.

"There are some very popular misconceptions concerning gut health, most of which can really lead people astray on how to effectively deal with certain problems", says Dr Mark Moyad, director of preventive and alternative medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Centre in the US.

Gastroenterologist Dr David Greenwald, agrees. "Sometimes what seems like a complex, difficult or even frightening problem really is a simple one, with a simple solution, if you can separate the myths from the facts", says Greenwald.

To clear things up, Greenwald, Moyad, and New York University director of paediatric gastroenterology, Dr Joseph Levy, helped prepare the following gut-busting challenge. Try to separate the myths from the facts to see how much you really know about how to keep your tummy healthy and happy.

1 - Myth or fact: Digestion takes place primarily in the stomach.

Answer: Myth. The major part of the digestive process takes place in the small intestine. The stomach takes in the food, then churns it and breaks it into tiny particles called "chime". The chime is then released in small batches into the small intestine, where most digestion occurs and nutrients are absorbed.

Contrary to popular belief, Levy says, foods do not digest in the order they are eaten. "Everything lands in the stomach where it's all churned together, and when it's ready it's released into the small intestines together", he says.

2 - Myth or fact: If you cut down on your food intake, you'll eventually shrink your stomach so you won't be as hungry.

Answer: Myth. Once you are an adult, your stomach pretty much remains the same size unless you have surgery to intentionally make it smaller. Eating less won't shrink your stomach, says Moyad, but it can help to reset your "appetite thermostat" so you won't feel as hungry, and it may be easier to stick with your eating plan.

3 - Myth or fact: Thin people have naturally smaller stomachs than people who are heavy.

Answer: Myth. While it may seem hard to believe, the size of the stomach does not correlate to weight or weight control. People who are naturally thin can have the same size or even larger stomachs than people who battle with their weight throughout a lifetime.