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Why does stomach not digest itself?

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    the wall of the stomach is lined with viscous material called mucus.

    also the the enzyme pepsinogen which is produced in the chief cell of stomach is in inactive form to prevent the digestion of gastric cells. later on it is converted into active form pepsin by HCl

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    Normally the stomach is protected from digestion by a stomach lining. However sometimes, particularly when a person is stressed the lining of the stomach is damaged. Then the stomach can start to get digested - the person gets ulcers. These are very painful. Of course when a person is starving the body starts to digest muscle first. Generally a person woud be dead before the body was able to start digesting much of the actual organs of the body.

  • 1 decade ago

    Nature is the wisest, you should believe this fact.No harm is caused to stomach by digestive secretions because-

    1) Stomach is covered with inner mucous lining which prevents the action of digestive secretions on it.

    2) there is no secretion of these enzymes etc. when the stomach is empty.

  • 1 decade ago

    Because the walls of the gastric system are covered in a thick mucus. It is when the production of this mucous is disrupted that the stomach begins to eat away at itself, causing ulcers. Many drugs can be used to change the ph of the acidity of the enzymes or a pill can be taken that becomes a goo and sticks to the walls of the stomach so that it might heal.

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  • 1 decade ago

    Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn't digest itself.

  • 1 decade ago

    According to my 6th grade science teacher ( who has been wrong) the stomach is lined with some non digestable snot-like substance.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Some of the stomach cells secrete a mucous layer that protects the stomach lining from dilute acids (mainly HCl).

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    stomach is internally lined with mucus layer which protects us from hydrochloric acid produced by stomach and hence stomach doesnt get digested

    Source(s): from books
  • 1 decade ago

    HCl is an acid but your stomach secretes a mucus which acts as a base neutralizing the acid.

  • 1 decade ago

    stomach is an organ...its function is to digest the food,not to digest itself.well..i din understand the question.

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