How long does it take to digest food?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Vo Thi Thuy Trang - Gastroenterologist, Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International Hospital. The doctor has many years of experience in the field of gastrointestinal endoscopy.

In general, the digestion of food takes about 24 to 72 hours to move through the entire digestive tract. The specific time depends on the amount and type of food that you have eaten. That aside, it depends on other factors like your gender, metabolism, and whether you have any digestive issues that could slow or speed up digestion.
Initially, food moves relatively quickly through the digestive system. Within 6 to 8 hours, food has moved through the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.
Once in the large intestine, food digested during meals can stay here for more than a day and continue to be absorbed and broken down.
The normal range for transit time through the entire intestine is as follows: gastric passage (2 to 5 hours), small bowel transit (2 to 6 hours), arrival through the colon (10 to 59 hours) hours) and whole bowel transport (10 to 73 hours).
The rate of digestion also depends on the nature of the food. Meat and fish can take up to 2 days to fully digest. The proteins and fats found in these foods are complex molecules that take longer for the body to break down.

In contrast, because fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, they can move through the digestive system in less than a day. In fact, foods rich in fiber help the digestive system work more efficiently.
The most digestible fast foods are processed foods, sugary snacks like candy. The body can digest them within a few hours, making you hungry again faster.

Digestion is the process by which the body breaks down and breaks down food into the nutrients your body needs to function. Anything left over after digestion is finished is called waste and the body gets rid of these substances.
Your digestive system is made up of five main parts:
Mouth Esophagus Stomach Small intestine Large intestine This is what happens after you eat food:
When you chew, the glands in your mouth secrete saliva release. This liquid contains enzymes that break down starches in food and as a result form a paste called a bolus that is easier to swallow. After swallowing, food moves down the esophagus, which is the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach. When the stomach is approaching, the lower esophageal sphincter opens to allow food to move into the stomach. Acid in the stomach will break down food more than the mouth, creating a paste that permeates gastric juice and partially digested food. This mixture continues to move to the small intestine.

In the small intestine, the pancreas and liver also provide additional digestive juices to the food mixture descending from the stomach. Digestive juices from the pancreas help break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Bile from the gallbladder helps dissolve fat. Vitamins, other nutrients, and water move through the walls of the small intestine to enter the bloodstream. The undigested food will continue to move to the large intestine. The large intestine absorbs the amount of water and nutrients left in the food. The food eventually becomes solid waste, called feces. The rectum stores stool until you are ready to have a bowel movement.

Certain medical conditions can disrupt digestion and cause unpleasant symptoms such as heartburn, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, specifically:
Acid reflux occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter muscle weakened. This leads to acid from the stomach traveling up the esophagus and causing heartburn symptoms. Celiac disease involves a person's own immune system attacking and damaging the intestines when a person eats foods that contain gluten.

Constipation occurs when bowel movements are less than normal. Leads to when defecating, stools are hard and harder to pass than usual. Constipation causes symptoms such as bloating and abdominal pain. Inflammatory bowel disease includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. These conditions cause chronic inflammation in the intestines, which can lead to ulcers, pain, bloody stools, weight loss, malnutrition, and an increased risk of colon cancer. Irritable bowel syndrome causes unpleasant symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, and constipation, but has not been linked to cancer or other serious gastrointestinal diseases. Lactose intolerance means your body lacks the enzyme needed to break down the sugars found in dairy products. When the patient drinks milk, the patient will develop symptoms such as bloating and diarrhea.

Article referenced source: healthline.com