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The effect of diet on small intestinal and biliary tract function
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|November 1, 1985
Summary
During fasting, the small intestine exhibits cyclical motor and secretory activity. This interdigestive periodicity is generated intrinsically, while food responses involve vagal sensory receptors, highlighting complex neurochemical gut regulation.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Neurogastroenterology
- Physiology
Background:
- Fasting triggers periodic oscillations in small intestine and biliary tract motor and secretory functions.
- Gastrointestinal regulatory peptide levels vary across different activity phases during fasting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the neurochemical regulation of interdigestive gut functions.
- To differentiate the mechanisms underlying fasting-induced periodicity versus food responses.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of motor and secretory activity patterns during fasting.
- Measurement of plasma gastrointestinal regulatory peptides.
- Review of current evidence on neural control mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Interdigestive periodicity of gut activity is primarily generated by intrinsic innervation.
- Response to food intake is mediated by vagal sensory receptors.
- Neurochemical regulation of gut function by enteric and central nervous systems is complex and underestimated.
Conclusions:
- The intrinsic nervous system governs fasting gut rhythms.
- Vagal afferents are key in mediating responses to feeding.
- Gut neurochemical regulation involves intricate interactions between the enteric and central nervous systems.