What is Peristalsis.

Movement of food through GI system:

The large hollow organs of the digestive system contain muscle that enables their walls to move. The movement of organ wall can propel food and liquid and also can mix contents within each organ.

What is Peristalsis?

The action of Peristalsis looks like an ocean wave moving through the muscle. The muscle of the organ produces a narrowing and then propels the narrowed portion slowly down the length of organ. These waves of narrowing push the food and fluid in front of them through each hollow organ.

•  The first major muscle movement occurs when food or liquid is swallowed. Although we are able to swallowing by choice, once we swallow begins it becomes involuntary and proceeds under the control of nerves.
• The esophagus is the organ into which the swallowed food is pushed. It connects the throat above with the stomach below. At the junction of the esophagus and stomach, there is ring like valve closing the passage between the two organs called as LOWER ESOPHAGUS SPHINCTER. However, as the food approaches the closed ring, the surrounding muscles relax and allow the food to pass.
• The food enters the stomach, which has three task to do.  

1.Storage. 

2.Mixing of food and digestive juices. 

3.Emptying the contents to the small intestine.

• Several factors affect emptying of the stomach, including the mature of food and degree of muscle action of the emptying stomach and the next organ to receive the stomach contents (the small intestine). As the food is digested in the small intestine and dissolved into the juices from the pancreas, liver and intestine, the contents of the intestine ate mixed and pushed forward to allow further digestion.
  
  
  • Finally, all of digested nutrients are absorbed through the intestinal walls. The waste products of this process include undigested parts of the food, known as fiber, and older cells that have beed shed from the mucosa. These materials are propelled into colon, where they remain usually for a day or two, until the feces are expelled by a bowel movement.