What is the muscular movement that moves food along the digestive tract called?

• A. Chewing
• B. Peristalsis
• C. Digestion
• D. Segmentation

Answer: (B)

Peristalsis is the muscular movement that moves food along the digestive tract. It’s a coordinated wave of contraction in the gut’s smooth muscle. Behind the food bolus, the circular muscle contracts to narrow the lumen, while the longitudinal muscle shortens and short bursts of relaxation ahead of it help push the contents forward. This wave-like action travels along the tract, propelling food from the esophagus through the stomach and into the intestines, and it also helps prevent backflow.

This is different from chewing, which is the mouth-based mechanical breakdown of food, and from segmentation, which involves alternating contractions that mix and churn the contents in the small intestine rather than moving it along the length. Digestion refers to the chemical and enzymatic breakdown of food, not the movement itself.