When meat is ground up, your body can soak up its nutrients better than when it's in big chunks.
Scientific Claim
Reduced food particle size enhances gastric emptying rate and increases the efficiency of nutrient and amino acid absorption in the gastrointestinal tract.
Original Statement
“Because it is pre-masticated, it's ground down already. your stomach and your intestines, they don't have to fight through the thick fibers and dense connective tissue. You absorb the nutrients faster and more completely.”
Context Details
Domain
nutrition
Population
unspecified
Subject
Reduced food particle size
Action
enhances
Target
gastric emptying rate and increases the efficiency of nutrient and amino acid absorption
Intervention Details
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (2)
When lupins are ground finer, pigs absorb more amino acids from them, proving that smaller food pieces help the body get more nutrition.
Technical explanation
This paper directly tests the effect of reducing lupin particle size on amino acid digestibility and gastric function in pigs, concluding that smaller particles significantly improve amino acid utilization — a direct confirmation of the assertion’s core claim.
Smaller food pieces get emptied from the stomach faster in mice, which likely helps the body absorb nutrients better.
Technical explanation
This paper directly measures gastric emptying rate in mice and identifies food particle size as a significant factor affecting the rate, aligning with the assertion that smaller particles enhance gastric emptying. It also implies improved nutrient absorption efficiency by linking particle size to digestive activity.
Contradicting (2)
Even when whole grain wheat was ground as fine as white bread, it emptied from the stomach at the same speed — so size alone doesn’t speed things up.
Technical explanation
This trial compares finely milled refined wheat with coarser whole grain wheat and finds no difference in gastric emptying rate, directly contradicting the assertion that smaller particle size enhances gastric emptying.
Even when oatmeal was ground into fine flour, it didn’t leave the stomach faster than whole flakes — so smaller pieces don’t always empty quicker.
Technical explanation
This study explicitly finds that despite differences in oatmeal particle size (flakes vs. flour), gastric emptying rates were similar, directly contradicting the assertion that smaller particles enhance gastric emptying.