What Barrier Protects Stomach Lining From Its Own Acid?
The human stomach houses a harsh environment that is responsible for breaking down food and destroying invading organisms. This environment is so inhospitable that the stomach requires lines of defense that serve to protect itself from its own secretions. Without the protective layers of mucus and epithelial cells, the stomach would destroy itself in just a few days.
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Stomach Acid
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The human stomach produces hydrochloric acid, a particularly strong acid, for the main purposes of breaking down food and killing any microorganisms that may have hitched a ride into our bodies on that food.
Mucus
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The inner lining of the stomach glistens with a shiny, translucent layer of mucus. This mucus lining serves as a protective barrier between the digestive acid and the epithelial cells below.
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Epithelial Cells
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Below the mucus layer, the stomach is lined with a layer of epithelial cells that also provide protection against the stomach's harsh environment. Even so, half a million of those cells are destroyed every minute. In a healthy stomach, those cells are regenerated just as quickly. At that rate, a human gets a completely new stomach lining every three days.
Barrier Threats
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Any substance that has a high acid content--such as citrus fruits, coffee and aspirin--will cause extra damage to mucus layer and the epithelial cells that compose the stomach's lining. In addition, a specific type of bacteria called helicobacter pylori can survive in the stomach, burrow into the stomach's mucus layer, and cause damage to the stomach's lining in much the same way that acid does.
Ulcers
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When the mucus barrier fails and epithelial cells are destroyed at a faster rate than they are produced, an ulcer results. Ulcers usually look like sores in the stomach and can cause discomfort, but they can break completely through the stomach if left untreated.
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