The Mesentery
- marketingc8
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
When the human stomachs is empty, it is roughly the size of a clenched fist or soda can and can hold about 16 ouches. But our stomachs are also “stretchy” and, when expanded, can hold up to over a gallon after a large meal.
The human stomach can be divided into four sections.
1. The cardia
2. The fundus
3. The body
4. The pylorus
The gastric (relating to the stomach) cardia is where the contents of the esophagus empty into the stomach. This area houses the lower esophageal sphincter and secretes mucus to protect the stomach lining.
The fundus (Latin for bottom) acts as a reservoir, expanding to accommodate ingested food and gas. The fundus is also involved in secreting gastric juices.
The body is the main part of the stomach and this is where food is mixed with gastric juices (including hydrochloric acid and enzymes such as pepsin) start the breakdown process.
The pylorus (derived from the Greek word for gatekeeper) holds the partially-digest food (chyme) and controls the flow into the small intestine. The chyme (from the Greek word khymos, meaning juice) is highly acidic at this stage. Highly acidic, you say? The hydrochloric acid in the human stomach is strong enough to dissolve wood. The stomach protects itself with a new mucus lining every few days.
Recently (in 2025), scientists discovered a new organ. More accurately, they decided that the “mesentery” should be elevated in status from tissue to organ. (At least, we think of it as a promotion.)
The mesentery is a fold of peritoneal tissue in the abdomen that anchors the intestines and other organs to the abdominal wall. It’s a kind of highway for blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatics, and playing crucial roles in nutrient absorption, immune response, and fat storage.
The mesentery was long dismissed as a “minor structure” but new research shows the mesentery is actually a continuous organ that holds the intestines in place. Even Gray’s Anatomy is on board with this upgrade!
And now there is a new field called “mesentery science” and many believe that studying it more closely will lead to major breakthroughs in treating abdominal disorders including Crohn’s disease and cancers related to the stomach.
The full function of the mesentery (the word derived from Greek mesos, for middle, and enteron, for intestines) are still being uncovered.
As we have said before, deep appreciation goes out to those who continue to understand precisely how the human body is assembled.
Fun facts:
The Blue Whale has the biggest stomach by sheer size. It’s capable of holding about 2,000 pounds of krill at a time. But Baird’s Beaked Whales have the most stomachs—up to 13 in all.
On land, the African Elephant is the largest mammal and its stomach is capable of holding 50 to 70 gallons of plant matter at a time.
A cow can have rumen (the first stomach) that can hold up to 40 gallons, fairly large for the animal’s comparative size. Sheep and goats are ruminants, too. The rumen acts as a fermentation vat housing microbes that break down tough plant fibers.
Whether any of these animals get butterflies in their stomach when they are nervous, well, we don’t yet know.
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