How much food can the human stomach hold?

The average human stomach has a volumetric capacity of between 0.25 and 1.7 liters, which is equivalent to between approximately 1 and 7 cups. Stomachs expand when taking in food and have a typical volume of around 1 liter after a meal.

Stomachs are capable of expanding beyond 1 liter if necessary to accommodate a large meal. However, forcing the stomach to expand further can lead to gastrointestinal discomfort and a reduced ability to digest the food. This is because a very full stomach cannot contract as effectively to mix the food with digestive fluids and move the food out of the stomach into the intestine.