Does the stomach really get bigger the more you eat and smaller the hungrier you get?

Question from a netizen: I often hear the saying recently that “the more you fill your stomach, the bigger it gets, and the hungrier you get, the smaller it gets.” If I skip a few meals, my appetite will indeed get worse.

I want to know, is there any scientific basis for this statement?

Before we get to the conclusion, let’s first understand the stomach.

The stomach is an organ composed of multiple layers of muscles that stores and digests food. It is usually in a state of slight contraction. After eating, the stomach will expand appropriately according to the amount of food eaten.

Generally speaking, when a person is fasting, the stomach capacity is about 50-100 ml, while when eating normally, the stomach capacity can reach 1200-1600 ml, or even 2000 ml. The stomach capacity before and after eating differs by nearly 20 times.

However, the difference in stomach capacity does not mean that the stomach will get bigger the more you eat and get smaller the hungrier you are.

After we eat, the stomach does become larger, but after emptying the food, the stomach will return to its emptying state, maintaining a slight contraction, and its total capacity remains basically unchanged.

As for what you said about eating less and less, it’s not that your stomach has become smaller, but that your brain has sent out instructions to suppress your hunger.

Therefore, the stomach does not get bigger as it gets fuller or get smaller as it gets hungrier.