Which factor most quickly increases gastric emptying?

Which factor most quickly increases gastric emptying?

• A. Liquids
• B. Cholinergic agonists
• C. Narcotics
• D. Solids

Answer: (B)

Gastric emptying is driven by how the stomach contracts and by how the pyloric sphincter regulates passage into the duodenum. Liquids tend to empty rapidly simply because they don’t require grinding or significant digestive processing, while solids are slower due to the need for mechanical breakdown and controlled release. The strongest pharmacological way to speed up this process is by stimulating the parasympathetic system with cholinergic agonists. Acetylcholine acting on muscarinic receptors increases antral contractions and promotes pyloric relaxation, pushing contents into the intestine more quickly. Narcotics do the opposite, slowing motility and delaying emptying, while solids inherently take longer to empty for the reasons above. So the prokinetic effect of cholinergic agonists makes them the best option for increasing gastric emptying rapidly.

Gastric emptying is driven by how the stomach contracts and by how the pyloric sphincter regulates passage into the duodenum. Liquids tend to empty rapidly simply because they don’t require grinding or significant digestive processing, while solids are slower due to the need for mechanical breakdown and controlled release. The strongest pharmacological way to speed up this process is by stimulating the parasympathetic system with cholinergic agonists. Acetylcholine acting on muscarinic receptors increases antral contractions and promotes pyloric relaxation, pushing contents into the intestine more quickly. Narcotics do the opposite, slowing motility and delaying emptying, while solids inherently take longer to empty for the reasons above. So the prokinetic effect of cholinergic agonists makes them the best option for increasing gastric emptying rapidly.