Peristalsis Explained

Peristalsis is the way food is moved through the digestive system. Picture trying to squeeze toothpaste through a tube and you’ll be imagining something kind of similar to peristalsis.
Let’s look at the oesophagus as an example. A small piece of food known as a bolus must be pushed down towards the stomach. Here’s how. There are circular muscles in the oesophagus (and other parts of the digestive system). When they contract at one point, the tube gets narrower at that place. This squeezes the food beneath it downwards. Then, right here, a little further down, the next set of muscles contract, while the previous ones relax. The tube becomes narrower a little further down, pushing the food downwards. This continues on all the way down pushing the food along.
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