The gut is home to more than half of our immune system. It also houses the second largest concentration of neurons in the body, which means that the gut plays a key role in your overall health. Gut health is a big topic these days. The human digestive tract is home to over 6,000 different species of bacteria! This abundance of good and bad bacteria both within and outside the body has a myriad of effects on our health. In this article, you explore why your upper and lower gastrointestinal tract are different and how they affect your health.
Why is my upper stomach bigger than my lower?
This is because the stomach is bigger in size when it is empty. It takes up more room in the stomach and this makes your stomach grow bigger
What Is The Difference Between The Upper And Lower Gastrointestinal Tract?
1. Smaller Upper Gastrointestinal Tract
The upper gastrointestinal tract is a major part of the digestive system. It consists of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, the food tube (esophagus), stomach and large intestine. The upper gastrointestinal tract performs many functions like digestion, secretion and absorption of nutrients. In this section you will learn about different parts of the upper gastrointestinal tract including; general appearance, functions and diseases.
2. Larger Lower Gastrointestinal Tract
The lower gastrointestinal tract is also a major part of the digestive system. It consists of the small intestine and large intestine. The main functions of the lower digestive tract are digestion, absorption, secretion and elimination of waste products. In this section you will learn about different parts of the lower gastrointestinal tract including; general appearance, functions and diseases.
3. Different topology
There is a lot of functionality in the upper gastrointestinal tract and a lot of small tubes in the lower gastrointestinal tract. The upper gastrointestinal tract has branches that extend into different places such as the lungs, throat and blood vessels. On the other hand, there is just one large tube in the lower gastrointestinal tract.
4. Absorption of nutrients
The upper gastrointestinal tract contains many processes to help with absorption of nutrients. In these processes, food is ground up, mixed with saliva and pushed along by waves of motion called peristalsis. This movement pushes food through the digestive system at various speeds depending on how much food you have eaten at once. The body then needs to break down food before it can be absorbed into our bloodstreams by way of digestive juices coming from special glands known as salivary glands.
How To Eat For Optimal Gut Health
Eat a balanced diet
We all know that eating a balanced diet is the best way to get all of the nutrients we need. But what we may not be aware of is the important role our digestive system plays in getting these nutrients into our bodies.
Avoid overeating
Overeating can cause your digestive system to work harder than it needs to. In order to digest food effectively, your body needs time to rest and digest food before you eat it again. If you overeat, you can cause your digestive system to work overtime, which can lead to overworking of the muscles in your gut, which then leads to stress on the body as a whole.
Don’t skip meals
When you skip meals, it causes your digestive system’s muscles (known as peristalsis) to slow down and stop working effectively. When this happens, it makes it harder for food particles from your last meal (known as chyme) to move out of your stomach and into the small intestine for further processing and digestion.
Get enough sleep
Our bodies need rest so that we can perform optimally and be able to think clearly. Sleep is essential for our bodies to function at their peak. When you don’t get enough sleep, it can affect your ability to function normally and your digestive system will have a harder time working effectively.
Stay hydrated
Our bodies are made up of 70% water, so staying hydrated is important for your digestive system as well as your overall health. Water helps keep our bodies healthy and balanced by keeping things like the brain and muscles functioning properly, as well as helping us digest food better when we do eat.
How Your Intestinal Tract Affects Your Health
- Your intestinal tract is made up of two parts: the stomach and the small intestine
The small intestine is where food is digested and absorbed into our bloodstreams. It has a lot of glands that produce digestive juices (known as hydrochloric acid, pepsin, etc.). These digestive juices break down the food we eat.
- The large intestine is where waste or ‘feces’ are stored for removal from the body.
The large intestine (or colon) is also known as the bowel or colon, and it’s very important to your health because it absorbs water from your body to help you properly digest food, and also helps with waste removal from the body. This means that if your large intestine doesn’t work properly, you can have problems like constipation or diarrhea.
- If your large intestine becomes blocked
If your large intestine becomes blocked due to a condition such as constipation, this could lead to many problems including bloating and abdominal pain; which can make you feel uncomfortable in many different ways.
- If your large intestine gets inflamed
The large intestine is also known as the colon, and it’s very important to your health because it absorbs water from your body to help you properly digest food, and also helps with waste removal from the body. This means that if your large intestine doesn’t work properly, you can have problems like constipation or diarrhea.
- If you have a condition called diverticulitis
Diverticulitis is a condition that causes inflammation in the lining of the colon (or large intestine). It happens when there are small pouches of cells called diverticula that form along one side of the colon wall. These pouches produce extra mucus which can collect inside them. The buildup of this mucus can lead to infections in the walls of the colon, which can cause pain and bleeding in the lower abdomen (known as diverticulitis).
Why Are Your Upper And Lower Gastrointestinal Tract Different?
Your digestive system, or gut as it’s known, is made up of two parts: the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. The upper gastrointestinal tract includes the esophagus and stomach, while the lower gastrointestinal tract includes the intestine and rectum.
Why Does Your Upper Gut Have Different Functions?
The upper gastrointestinal tract is made up of two parts: the esophagus and stomach. The esophagus connects your mouth to your stomach and takes food from there to your stomach for digestion. The stomach is where our food is firstly broken down into small particles so that we can absorb nutrients from them.
Why Do Your Lower Gastrointestinal Tracts Have Different Functions?
The lower gastrointestinal tract is made up of two parts: the small intestine and large intestine (or colon). The small intestine absorbs nutrients from food as they pass through it, while waste products are passed out of the body along with water in a process called ‘feces’. The large intestine (or colon) helps absorb water from our bodies as well as remove waste products that are stored in it by absorbing water from our bodies; which means that if your large intestine doesn’t work properly, you can have problems like constipation or diarrhea.
What Are Some Conditions That Affect Your Upper Gut?
If your esophagus becomes damaged or inflamed this could lead to many problems including difficulty swallowing (known as dysphagia), heartburn, and vomiting. If your stomach becomes damaged or inflamed it can lead to many problems including heartburn and indigestion.
Bottom Line
Nowadays, we are fully aware of the fact that gut health has many ties to overall health. There are many factors that can affect your gut flora, like diet, stress, or medications. If you want to improve your gut health, you should aim to reduce the impact of these factors. The upper and lower gastrointestinal tracts are the two major passes through the body that bring nutrients into the body and remove waste products out of the body. The upper and lower gut share many of the same organs and tissues, but there are significant anatomical and functional differences. The gastrointestinal tract is made up of the stomach, small intestine, and large bowel.
