the.com/gastric lining
The stomach's self-eating-proof vest, replaced faster than you replace your towels.
means The mucus-coated protective layer of cells inside the stomach wall that shields it from being digested by its own acid and enzymes.
from Straightforward scientific compounding rather than a storied word: 'gastric' traces back to the Greek 'gaster,' meaning stomach or belly, while 'lining' comes from the plain Old English/Germanic sense of 'line' as an inner layer or covering. The term entered medical English as anatomists needed precise names for the mucosa, the specific tissue layer doctors eventually discovered renews itself every few days to survive the acid it holds back.
- turnover speed
- Fully renews itself every 3 to 5 days
- mucus shield
- Secretes bicarbonate gel to block its own acid
- acid strength
- Holds pH near 1.5, strong enough to dissolve metal
- when it fails
- Breakdown lets acid burn through, causing ulcers