‘And bring us some ice.’ –Marlon Brando
Swallowing is a complex maneuver designed to pass food and drink safely into the stomach without the bolus taking an abberrant path into the adjacent airway. (…)
Fortunately for most of us, several safety mechanisms exist to prevent pretzels, and other detritus, from entering the airway, but given the open proximity of our airway to our food pathway, the risk of aspiration, albeit a subtle one, always exists. Ever notice that you’re unable to breath while swallowing? This is because the vocal folds adduct, closing and protecting the airway during the act of swallowing. This is but one safety feature when swallowing, but it demonstrates that respiration and swallowing must act in a coordinated fashion to prevent aspiration.
There is evidence that what we eat, how much we eat at a time and how fast we eat it affects our respiration, which in turn affects how the swallow is executed.
