Studies on the Temperature of the Gastrointestinal Tract

Twelfth Report Influence of Ingestion of Water on the Temperature in the Upper Alimentary Tract

Abstract

The changes in the intraesophageal, intragastric, and intraduodenal temperatures of healthy adults after drinking 15 and 50°C water were studied and the following facts were confirmed.
I. The intraesophageal temperature:
1. The maximum change appears during and immediately after drinking, and is always greater than that in the intragastric temperature.
2. The recovery to the temperature before drinking is faster than that of the intragastric temperature.
3. The curve of the change exhibits a straight line on the logarithmic scale, and represents a power function.
II. The intragastric temperature:
1. The results reported previously¹⁾ are substantiated.
2. The upper and lower parts of the stomach behave equally in the changes.
III. The intraduodenal temperature:
1. The curve of the change shows a zigzag line.
2. The maximum change appears between 30 seconds and eight minutes after the drinking, and is usually smaller than those of intraesophageal and intragastric temperatures.
3. The change never exceeds that of the intragastric temperature.
4. The individual variation in the change is greater than those in the intraesophageal and intragastric temperatures.
5. The curve of recovery does not represent any simple mathematical function.
6. It changes more physiologically than physically contrary to the other two temperatures which behave more physically.