Chewing

Common card · No. 323754

Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by the teeth. It is the first step in the process of digestion, allowing a greater surface area for digestive enzymes and bile to break down the foods. During the mastication process, the food is positioned by the cheek and tongue between the teeth for grinding. The muscles of mastication move the jaws to bring the teeth into intermittent contact, repeatedly opening and closing. As chewing continues, and the digestive enzymes in saliva (especially amylase and lingual lipase) begin to break down carbohydrates and other nutrients, the food is made softer and warmer, forming a food bolus ready to be swallowed. It enters the esophagus and via peristalsis continues on to the stomach, where the next step of digestion occurs. Increasing the number of chews per bite stimulates the production of digestive enzymes and peptides and has been shown to increase diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) by activating the sympathetic nervous...

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