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MBBS QUESTION #10271
Question 1
The migrating motor complex (MMC), a cyclic pattern of gut motility occurring during the interdigestive (fasting) state, primarily functions to:
  • Digest and absorb nutrients from the most recently ingested meal
  • Sweep residual undigested material, secretions, and bacteria through the GI tract between meals, helping prevent small intestinal bacterial overgrowth✔️
  • Maximally stimulate gastric acid secretion between meals
  • Trigger the gastrocolic reflex exclusively, with no other motor function
Correct Answer Explanation
The MMC is a periodic ('housekeeper') wave of peristaltic activity that sweeps through the stomach and small intestine roughly every 90-120 minutes during fasting, clearing residual debris and limiting bacterial colonization — its disruption (e.g., in diabetic autonomic neuropathy) predisposes to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.