Question

What are the seven sphincters found in the gastrointestinal tract?

Answer 1

A sphincter is a muscle that regulates the tension of a body passage which is relaxed because of natural physiological reactions. The gastrointestinal tract is a tract beginning at the mouth and ending at the anus. It is also called the alimentary canal or the digestive tract.

Complete answer:
The gastrointestinal tract includes all the organs present in the digestive system of humans. The food is ingested through the mouth. The nutrients are extracted from the food and energy is absorbed. The waste is expelled out through the anus as feces. The major parts of the gastrointestinal tract are:
- Mouth
- Oesophagus
- Stomach
- Intestines
- Anus
The human gastrointestinal tract is divided into the upper gastrointestinal tract and lower gastrointestinal tract. The gastrointestinal tract is also divided into the foregut, midgut and hindgut. The gastrointestinal tract is about 9 meters in length but is considerably shorter when observed in the human body as the intestines maintain tension and distension for peristalsis.
The human body consists of over 60 different sphincters.
The seven sphincters found in the gastrointestinal tract are:
- Upper esophageal sphincter
- Lower esophageal sphincter
- Pyloric sphincter
- Ileo-caecal valve
- Houston’s valves
- Internal sphincter of anus
- External sphincter of anus

Note:
The gastrointestinal tract contains many microbes. There are an estimated 4000 strains of bacteria that influence the metabolism of the body. The cells of the gastrointestinal tract secrete enzymes like gastrin, secretin, cholecystokinin and ghrelin to regulate the process of digestion.