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Our stomach is a stretchy muscle that can take a lot. But at some point, it comes to an end.
If your waistband pinches after a meal, it’s because your stomach has expanded and demands space. But how far can the stomach actually expand?
While the stomach is usually the size of a 0.5-liter beverage can, it can expand to the size of a 2-liter bottle. “The size of the stomach can quadruple or more,” Dr. Arthur Beyder, professor of medicine and physiology at the Mayo Clinic, told Live Science. He compared the smooth muscle of the stomach to a “rubber band”.
The stomach is made up of smooth muscle that can contract and expand, allowing it to make room for more food. This is particularly useful when the body consumes much food at once, such as at a festive meal. In extreme cases, such as competitive eaters, the stomach can expand to hold 4 liters.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, stomach tension is transmitted to the brain via the vagus nerve, which runs from the colon to the brain. This is just one of the ways the brain is told if the stomach is full. There are also hormonal changes that tell your brain when it’s time to stop eating. The hunger hormone ghrelin decreases, while other hormones signal satiety to the brain and decrease your appetite. If someone overeats, it may mean that they have ignored these signals or eaten so quickly that the hormones have not had enough time to tell the brain that they are full. Levy, therefore, advises waiting 15 minutes before going back for seconds. During this time, you will either feel full or not.
Contrary to the general tendency, if you have already overeating, you should not lie down, as this can lead to acid reflux. Instead, a light walk is recommended. According to UC San Diego Health, this can stimulate digestion and motility, or the movement of food through the digestive system.
- source: heute.at/picture: Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
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