Tuesday 9 April 2019

Intestines : Part of the body

                                       A to Z 2019
The intestines are a part of the digestive system.
The intestines are a long, continuous muscular tubes running from the lower end of the 
stomach to the anus. It is also called bowel or bowels.
The intestines include the small intestine, large intestine, and rectum.
The small intestine (small bowel) is about 20 feet long and about an inch in diameter. 
The large intestine (colon or large bowel) is about 5 feet long and about 3 inches in 
diameter. 
The colon absorbs water from wastes, creating stool. As stool enters the rectum, nerves 
there create pressure to defecate.

The small intestine consists of three segments :
Duodenum : This short section is the part of the small intestine that takes in semi-
digested food from the stomach through the pylorus, and continues the digestion process. 
The duodenum also uses bile from the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas to help digest food.
Jejunum : The middle section of the small intestine carries food through rapidly, with 
wave-like muscle contractions, towards the ileum.
Ileum : This last section is the longest part of the small intestine. The ileum is where 
most of the nutrients from the food are absorbed before emptying into the large 
intestine.
By the time food reaches the small intestine, it has already been broken up and mashed 
into liquid by the stomach. Each day, the small intestine receives between one and three 
gallons (or six to twelve liters) of this liquid. The small intestine carries out most of the 
digestive process, absorbing almost all of the nutrients  from foods into the bloodstream. 
The walls of the small intestine make digestive juices, or enzymes, that work together 
with enzymes from the liver and pancreas .
The large intestine is about five feet (or 1.5 meters) long. The large intestine is much 
broader than the small intestine and takes a much straighter path through the belly, or 
abdomen. The purpose of the large intestine is to absorb water and salts from the 
material that has not been digested as food, and get rid of any waste products left over. 
By the time food mixed with digestive juices reaches the large intestine, most digestion 
and absorption has already taken place.
What's left is mainly fiber (plant matter which takes a long time to digest), dead cells 
shed from the lining of the intestines, salt, bile pigments (which give this digested 
matter its color), and water. In the large intestine, bacteria feed on this mixture. These 
helpful bacteria produce valuable vitamins that are absorbed into the blood, and they 
also help digest fiber. 
The digestive tract plays a vital role in your health, as it’s responsible for absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste. Unfortunately, many people suffer from digestive problems like bloating, cramping, gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation for a variety of reasons. Certain conditions, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Crohn’s Disease, diverticulitis and heartburn, can put you at risk for more severe digestive issues.
However, even a healthy person can experience digestive problems due to things such as  
lack of fiber or probiotic-rich foods in their diet.
Foods like Yogurt, dark green vegetables, whole grains, apples, papaya, beet roots, chia 
seeds, ginger aid in digestion.
Both high-fat and fried food can overwhelm the stomach, resulting in acid reflux and heartburn.
High-fat food also can result in pale-colored stool, a phenomenon called steatorrhea, which is essentially excess fat in the feces. A lot of people with irritable bowel syndrome need to stay away from foods high in fat, she says, including butter and cream because they can cause digestive problems.

                                                  Trivia 
Dr. John Wilce of Ohio State University, USA, coined 'Intestinal fortitude' to avoid the use 
of the word guts.
Intestinal fortitude means strong courage, determination, gumption.
He does not have the intestinal fortitude necessary to make his mark in the murky world  
of politics.

               Readers, when did you last read in detail about Intestines? 

                       I am participating in the A to Z Challenge. 

(Information courtesy Google)


A to Z Challenge - Day 1. Arms : Parts of the body  
A to Z Challenge - Day 2. breasts : Parts of the body

A to Z Challenge - Day 3.Chin & Cheeks : Parts of the body


A to Z Challenge - Day 4. Dimples : Parts of the body 


A to Z Challenge - Day 5. Eye : Parts of the body.


A to Z Challenge - Day 6. Feet: Parts of the body


A to Z Challenge - Day 7 . Gums/Gingiva

A to Z Challenge - Day 8. Hair : Parts of the body

19 comments:

  1. https://ideasolsi65.blogspot.com/2019/04/intestines-part-of-body.html

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  2. I read about intestines whenever I need to do some research for foods that help digestion.

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    1. Intestines though an important organ is highly under-rated one. When food is digested the whole body is relaxed. Thanks Shilpa Gupte for reading and commenting.

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  3. Intestines are one of the most ignored body parts. We always give you predominance to the stomach. But intestines have a great part to play in digestion. Informative post again.

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    1. Intestines is not much talked off as an organ of anatomy.Thanks Sonia C for visiting my blog.

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  4. How interesting! That was quite an in-depth article!
    www.nooranandchawla.com

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  5. Alas, my GI tract got severely damaged due to an H.Pylori infection that the doctors weren't able to diagnose for a long time. So yeah, I've had to read a lot about the intestines over the last couple of years. :(
    Find my I post @ 15 Ways To Find Inspiration For Your Blog Content | How To Find New Post Ideas

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    Replies
    1. Doctors now advice me to be careful when I eat outside for the fear of catching infections. Thanks Chicky K.

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  6. This felt like a refresher course of Biology lessons fro school.

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  7. I remember reading about the helpful bacteria that assist in digestion in grade school. I took Biology in my 11th grade and scored 89% marks in the subject in my 12th All these articles are reminding me of my grade school Biology which I used to study with a lot of interest. By the way I find that when I share your posts through twitter your twitter handle is not being reflected. Do correct that if you can.

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  8. Glad that you read a topic of your interest. My son was petrified of biology in 11th and 12th std. Now he happy that he doesnt have to study this subject.

    My twitter handle is Kalpana Solsi @kalpanasolsi2

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  9. Nice information on Intestines, which are more like engines of the body for the food digestion part.

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    1. You have said it right, Suhavijay that intestions are the engines that drive the body.

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  10. Useful information Kalpana! We often ignore the role of Intestines in our overall health and well being...but your AtoZ series is a reminder that each body part is as crucial as the other.

    Read my I post here - http://evergreenleaf.blogspot.com/2019/04/i-ignore-things-beyond-control.html

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