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Human Body Study

Esophagus

The muscular tube connecting the throat to the stomach.

The digestive tract The GI tract from mouth through oesophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine, with liver, gallbladder and pancreas as accessory organs. Each label links to the article for that part. Mouth Esophagus Liver Stomach Gallbladder Pancreas Small intestine Large intestine The digestive tract and its accessory organs — schematic, not to scale.

What it does

Section titled “What it does”
  • Carries swallowed food and drink to the stomach.
  • Moves contents by peristalsis — waves of muscle contraction — so swallowing works even against gravity.
  • A ring of muscle at its lower end (a sphincter) opens to admit food and closes to keep stomach acid from rising.

Key idea

Section titled “Key idea”

The esophagus is purely a transport tube — no digestion happens here. Failure of its lower sphincter is what causes acid reflux.