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Why doesn't stomach acid eat away at the stomach?

stomach.jpgQuestion

I watched a programme where they did an autopsy on a crocodile and they said that the stomach acid is 1000 times stronger than that of a human, so it can digest full animals. Do why does the stomach itself not get eaten away? In the same way, we can digest some guts using it, but it doesn’t make wholes in our own stomach.
Steve, Wallington

Answer

Name: Deborah, Lymington
Qualification: Radiography student
Answer: The cells within the stomach lining, as well as hydrochloric acid, also produce a bicarbonate-rich solution which neutralised the acid. So the acid can work on the meat, but cannot work on the stomach.

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