Looking for new ways to get some perspective on how our bodies process food, some UK scientists have built an artificial stomach that simulates digestion. The machine is made from plastics and metals, all strong enough to withstand the acids that are part of digestion, and is controlled by computers, able to mimic all the physical and chemical reactions associated with eating. It is even capable of vomiting.
The designer, Dr Martin Wickham, is hopeful that "his model will help scientists understand more about how food gets processed in the gut, and which nutrients get absorbed." This knowledge could lead to new definitions of superfoods, which are supposedly the healthiest of foods, determining which nutrients are absorbed the fastest and how to get the most from what we eat. There are commercial applications, as well, and companies have already shown an interest in borrowing the machine to test out some of their new food products (health-type products) release a specified nutrient to the stomach that the company claims it does.
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