Eli5: how does stomach acid stay in your stomach while other solide materials are able to move on?
In: Biology
There’s a particular sphincter at the end of the stomach called the ~~duodenum~~ edit: pyloric sphincter, which leads to the duodenum. Anything that leaves the stomach (save for vomiting) passes through the duodenum. When the food passes through the duodenum, the pancreas releases sodium bicarbonate, which neutralizes the acid in the stomach, leaving only sodium chloride and bicarbonate salts.
So the answer is that stomach acid stays in the stomach because everything is sprayed with baking soda when it leaves the stomach.
The stomach acid does leave your stomach along with digested food, your stomach just secretes more acid to replace it. The acid that leaves your stomach gets eventually neutralized in your small intestines by your pancreas.
In addition, the ring of muscle, or sphincter, at the end of your stomach is called the pyloric sphincter, which leads to the first section of your small intestines called the duodenum.
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