What is the oesophagus?
The oesophagus, or food pipe, is a hollow tube that connects your mouth to your stomach.
Where is it?
It starts in the neck, continuing down the back of the chest in front of the spine and ending with the last few centimetres in the abdomen, where it connects to the stomach.
What is it made of?
The wall of the oesophagus has four layers:
- Mucosa – innermost layer
Lines the inside of the oesophagus and protects it, similar to the lining of the inside of your mouth.
Forms a barrier against pathogens and minor irritants.
Contains a few glands that secrete mucus to help lubricate food as it passes down. - Submucosa
Contains blood vessels, most of the mucus-producing glands and nerves that help control how the oesophagus works and keep it nourished and moist. - Muscularis propria (muscular layer)
It has two layers of muscle: one running around the oesophagus (circular) and the other running lengthwise (longitudinal).
These muscles push food down toward the stomach.
The upper part of the oesophagus is made mostly of striated (voluntary) muscle – which you can control. This allows you to start the swallowing process consciously when you feel it is safe.
In contrast, the lower part of the oesophagus is made of smooth (involuntary) muscle, which works automatically. Once you decide to swallow, the food is moved into your stomach without you having to think about it! - Adventitia – outer layer
Strong connective tissue that keeps the oesophagus in place and separates it from the organs around it.
What does it do?
Its main job is to move the food and drinks you swallow safely down to your stomach for digestion.
When you eat, food mixes with saliva in your mouth and forms a soft ball called bolus.
As you swallow, a small ring of muscle at the top of the oesophagus (upper oesophageal sphincter) opens to let the food in. You control this part.
Then, the muscles in the oesophagus work together in a gentle, wave-like motion, called peristalsis, to push the food down towards your stomach.
At the bottom of the oesophagus, there’s another ring of muscle called the lower oesophageal sphincter. It works like a one-way door, it opens to let food into your stomach and then closes to stop food and acid from coming back up.
In short, the oesophagus is your body’s food highway, working smoothly and quietly to get every bite where it needs to go!
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