The tongue and stomach are connected through the act of swallowing, where the tongue initiates the process of moving food towards the stomach for digestion.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
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Tongue's Role in Swallowing: The tongue manipulates food in the mouth, mixes it with saliva to form a bolus (a soft mass of chewed food), and then positions it at the back of the mouth to initiate swallowing.
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Esophageal Transport: Once the swallowing reflex is triggered, the bolus is pushed down the esophagus, a muscular tube connecting the mouth to the stomach, via peristalsis (wave-like muscle contractions).
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Stomach's Role in Digestion: The bolus enters the stomach, where it is further broken down by gastric acids and enzymes into smaller nutrient components. The stomach then gradually releases the partially digested food into the small intestine for further processing and absorption.
In summary, the tongue prepares the food for digestion and initiates the process of delivering it to the stomach, where the main part of chemical digestion takes place. The tongue's action of swallowing connects the mouth to the stomach for the beginning steps of the digestive process.
