The chyme enters the intestines through the sphincter muscles. The chyme first enters the small intestine where the nutrients are absorbed and then enters the large intestine.
The length of the small intestine is roughly 9-16 feet whereas the large intestine is only 5 foot, so why do we still call the small intestine small, we call it on the basis of its diameter? The diameter of the small intestine is smaller when compared to the large intestine.
Intestines are located in the abdominal cavity, the food or chyme enters the intestines through sphincter muscle. The intestines lie after the stomach in the gastrointestinal tract. And then transfer the excreta to rectum.
Intestine is the longest part of the gastrointestinal tract, but the question arises that how does such a long tube-like structure fit into our abdominal cavity? The tube is bent like a coil, and it is folded in a varied pattern to fit into the cavity.
The chyme is transferred from stomach, till stomach, salivary amylase and pepsin are added into the food, but the food is actually digested in the small intestine, the nutrients are absorbed by the body in the small intestine, through diffusion in the villi.
The chyme is acidic in nature, so to protect from further chemical reactions, food has to be alkaline, and that is done by the bile.
Bile juice also acts on fats, and emulsifies it(because fats are present as large globules), so that the fats are also digested/absorbed by the small intestine.
Yes, the small intestine also receives secretion from the liver, like trypsin and lipase, which help in digestion of protein and fat respectively.
Intestinal juices are released into the small intestine that converts-
The small intestine has various small hair-like structures like hair, which increase the surface area, and help in absorption of the nutrients, from which the nutrients enter the bloodstream.
The food is then passed to the large intestine.
Large intestine absorbs the water from this bolus received from the small intestine, so that we don’t lose water, and rough human excreta are formed.
And the bolus is then transported to rectum.
Intestines are the most important part because, without them even eating healthy and nutritious food would have been a waste; the nutrients would not be absorbed.
And without it, the rough excreta can also not be processed.
Intestines are the involuntary organs which are made of smooth muscles; hence a muscular tube like structure is formed.
Small intestine further has 3 parts which are duodenum, jejunum and ileum, which collectively perform the function of the small intestine that we have discussed above.
The small intestine is made up of cell columnar epithelium that has villi on it, which helps in absorption of nutrients.
And the large intestine is also made up of smooth muscles; it has an ascending and descending colon in it, which performs the function we discussed above.
Gastrointestinal infections are caused by a number of bacteria, viruses, and parasites. It has symptoms like fever, loss of appetite, and is easily treated within weeks.
But few major diseases of the intestine are life threatening and should not be taken carelessly.
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