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When you ’re tucking into one of your preferent foods — perhaps a steaming bowlful of ramen or spectacularly cheesy fade of pizza — you ’re probably not thinking about the journeying each bite is about to take through your digestive organization .
Of course , what start out out as a pleasant-tasting meal will eventually terminate up at the bottom of a pot bowl . But how long does it take to digest food for thought , exactly ?
The composition of one’s diet, as well as your age and stress levels, can affect the time it takes to digest food.
The response to this enquiry is more complicated than you might imagine . Different types of nutrient are conk out down and absorb by the consistence at unlike rates , mean some parts of the meal may be entering the with child intestine when other parts are still in the tummy . It ’s also common for sizeable people to bear food at slightly unlike charge per unit , fit in toColorado State University .
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Foods rich indietary fiber , protein , complex carbohydrates and fats tend to take longer to digest than food low in these nutrients , Dr. Nina Nandy , a gastroenterologist based in Texas and American Gastroenterological Association spokesperson , tell Live Science by email .
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" Fiber contribute bulk to the diet , which slack down the movement of food through the digestive parcel , " she said . " intemperately processed nutrient tend to be digested more quickly as they lack this nutrient . " Meanwhile , while they can process less - nutrient - heavy foods fairly cursorily , the tum and small intestine take more time to break down foods rich in protein and fats into nutrient that can be used by the soundbox .
Similarly , complexcarbohydrates — like those found in whole grains , legumes and stiff vegetables — take longer to digest than dim-witted shekels . That ’s because complex carbs aremade of long , complex chainsof three or more types of sugar molecules , while simple sugars comprise only one or two sugars .
" The body has to break [ complex carbs ] down into elementary dough before absorption can happen , " Nandy order . ( Fiber is a complex carb that ca n’t be broken down at all . )
life-style divisor also affect gut transit metre . Chewing thoroughly and staying hydrated can help speed up the digestive cognitive process by increasing the intellectual nourishment ’s open area for digestive enzyme and help to soften the food particles , respectively , Nandy said . In increase , " physical exertion helps increase gut motility and promote peristalsis , which is the rhythmic compression of digestive musculus , " Nandy said . Conversely , peristalsis can slow down during time period of inactivity .
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A person ’s historic period and stress levels can also sham digestion . With eld , adults tend to produce less stomach battery-acid and digestive enzymes , while their guts become less motile , she said . " tenseness and anxiety can also increase gut transit time by altering gut motility and reducing GI blood flow , " she add . Having a " nervous stomach"reflects an activating of thefight - or - flying arrangement , which more often than not suppresses digestion in the stomach and modest intestine while stimulating the turgid bowel .
And finally , certain medical experimental condition and medications can either speed or dim digestion . For example , diabetes is themost common cause of gastroparesis , or " delayed stomach emptying , " which makes food linger in the venter for a long fourth dimension . Certain medicament , including opiate and anticholinergic drugs , which suppress nerve signals responsible for involuntary muscle movements , can slow gut transit and do stultification , Nandy said .
This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to proffer medical advice .
