alleryStart learning →Which single stomach function is necessary to life?
AThe churning of food into chyme
BThe production of intrinsic factor
CThe secretion of the enzyme pepsin
DThe storage of a large meal
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. The production of intrinsic factor
1. The stomach churns food, begins protein digestion, stores meals and secretes several substances.
2. Only one of these is strictly necessary to life, and that is the production of intrinsic factor.
3. Intrinsic factor is required for the intestinal absorption of vitamin B12.
4. Vitamin B12 is needed for mature red blood cells and for normal neurological function.
5. People who lose the whole stomach can survive on vitamin B12 injections, which shows the other functions are replaceable.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 23 "The Digestive System", section 23.4 The Stomach_
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