What is the Difference Between Stomach and Gut

The main difference between stomach and gut is that stomach is a part of the gastrointestinal tract (GI) whereas the gut is the entire gastrointestinal tract: from mouth to anus.

The stomach and gut are two parts of the digestive system of an animal. The main function of the digestive system is to digest and absorb food and nutrients while eliminating undigested materials.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Stomach
   • Definition, Anatomy, Function
2. What is Gut
   • Definition, Anatomy, Function
3. Similarities Between Stomach and Gut
   • Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Stomach and Gut
   • Comparison with Key Differences

Key Terms

Gut, Stomach, Digestive System

What is Stomach

The stomach is a J-shaped, muscular, and hollow organ that digests food. It is located in the upper abdomen on the left side of the body. Also, the cardia, fundus, body, and pylorus are the four sections of the human stomach. To be specific, cardia is the region of the stomach. It is where the esophagus’s food empties into the stomach. And, the fundus is the upper curved part. Meanwhile, the body is the main central part of the stomach and the pylorus is the bottom part that connects to the small intestine. The stomach starts from the esophagus and empties into the intestine.

Figure 1: Stomach Anatomy

Furthermore, the stomach produces enzymes and acids to aid in breaking down the food into nutrients. The digestive food and digestive juice are commonly called the chyme, which empties into the duodenum controlled by the pyloric sphincter. The stomach also contracts and relaxes to mix digestive enzymes with the food in it. Also, it stores food temporarily.

What is Gut

The gut or GI tract refers to the long tube that starts from the mouth and ends with the anus. In general, the other parts of the gut include the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Here, the mouth helps to chew and swallow food. The esophagus is the hollow tube that passes swallowed food into the stomach, and the stomach creates digestive juice. The small intestine mix digested food with intestinal enzymes and absorbs nutrients while the large intestine turns digestive food into stool.

Figure 2: Gut

Moreover, the main function of the gut is to digest food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate undigested materials.

Similarities Between Stomach and Gut

• Both the stomach and gut are two parts of a digestive system of an animal.
• Furthermore, their main function is to digest food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate undigested materials.

Difference Between Stomach and Gut

Definition

The stomach refers to an internal organ and the major part of the digestive system while the gut refers to the long tube of the body through which food passes.

Anatomy

Generally, the stomach is a J-shaped organ while the gut is a long tube.

Components

The cardia, fundus, body, and pylorus are the parts of the stomach while the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine are the parts of the gut.

Function

Usually, the stomach digests food while the gut digests and absorbs nutrients and eliminates waste.

Conclusion

In brief, the stomach is the major organ of the digestive system of an animal. It is also a part of the gut. Here, the gut is the long tube of the body, passing food through the tube, digesting and absorbing nutrients while eliminating waste. Therefore, the main difference between stomach and gut is their structure.

References:

1. Henderson, R. (2018, May 31). The digestive system: Gut and stomach anatomy. Patient.info. Retrieved August 3, 2022.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Gray1046” By Henry Gray – Own Work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Tractus intestinalis ventriculus” By Olek Ramesk – Own Work (CC By-SA 2.5) via Commons Wikimedia