Is it Possible to Stretch Stomach by Overeating?

Strictly speaking about the possibility to stretch stomach, it is physiologically impossible to achieve a persistent change (i.e., increase/growth or decrease in size) of the stomach, namely by food – in one way or another. The volume of an empty stomach of an adult is about 500 ml. After eating, it usually stretches to 1-2 liters, but it can increase to 4 liters.

Thanks to stretching receptors, the muscle tone of the stomach changes in such a way that its volume increases without any increase in pressure (adaptive relaxation). This process occurs under the action of inhibitory fibers of the vagus nerve and hormones; in particular, the elasticity of the stomach increases with cholecystokinin.

Does your stomach stretch from overeating?

Note: at least 14 stretch receptors were found in the human stomach.

So, in fact, the following happens, these very stretching receptors located in the stomach allow you to control the process of filling the stomach with food, sending a signal to the brain when to stop and stop stuffing food (well, if you don’t stop, then nausea rolls up the first, let’s say so preventive, is the reaction of the brain to your disobedience. With the systematic intake of food in an increased amount in the stomach, the sensitivity of these receptors is dulled, due to which, you are gradually able to contain more food than before.

But at the same time, this does not mean a real physiological increase in the actual volume of your stomach, no, it’s more about the functional capabilities of the stomach to contain the maximum (or increased compared to your usual volume) amount of food within its capabilities. So the increased volume of solid food entering the stomach is already considered normal by the brain.

Moreover, this kind of reaction of the stomach does not correlate with the total body weight. The stomach may be ready to take large amounts of food in both a thin and a fat person. And this applies specifically to solid food, and specifically to large volumes of food at a time, liquid food quickly leaves the stomach, and therefore it does not create a similar effect.

By the way, participants in the fast-food eating competitions use a special technique to reduce the sensitivity of stretching receptors in the stomach, they intentionally eat large amounts of low-calorie (so as not to get fat), but high-volume food.

Returning to the normal sensitivity of stretching receptors takes about four weeks, for this, it’s enough to just start eating less food (for example, on a low-calorie diet, or by reducing the amount of food you eat at a time; well, of course, provided that your surplus diet, if it is surplus, you don’t break it into some crazy number of meals, so the food taken with the previous meal has not yet left the stomach).

Additionally, you can see how to find the fat burning zone.

Moreover, there is a chance to see how whey mass gainer can influence your health.