The Intestines Facts
The Intestines Facts
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| Interesting The Intestines Facts: |
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| In an adult, the small intestine measures about 16 feet (on average), and is about 1-2 inches in diameter. |
| If the small intestine were just a simple tube, it would have a surface area of only about ½ square meter, or about the size of a chair. However, the small intestine has a very complex inner lining, which is made up of millions of little fingers (called villi), which increase the area to about 200 square meters, or about the size of a tennis court! |
| Food can be held in the small intestine from anywhere from 1 to 4 hours. During this time, most of the chemical digestion of food takes place (and most of the absorption as well). |
| Your small and large intestines have muscles in them (called smooth muscle) that move food through the intestines. These muscles allow all of the food you eat to go through your system, often defying gravity to do so - this means that you could in fact eat upside down! |
| The large intestine is actually shorter than the small intestine, only being about 5 feet long in an adult. The intestines are named for how wide they are, not how long they are. |
| In your lifetime, the digestive system (mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, pancreas, liver) will handle over 50 tons of food and liquid! |
| Food absorbed in the intestines goes directly to the liver through a large vein called the portal vein. |
| The large intestine makes an upside down "U" in your abdomen. It goes from the bottom right side, up to your ribs, across to your left side, and down to the bottom right side, eventually going down to the middle and connecting to your rectum. |
| Gas that builds up in your large intestine causes flatulence. Most of these gasses are produced by friendly bacteria that live in your large intestine, and allow us to absorb different vitamins and nutrients that we can't otherwise absorb. This gas usually takes about 30-45 minutes to pass through your system. |
| In the large intestine, mainly water is absorbed. Food can last in the large intestine from 18 hours to 2 days sometimes! |
| Humans can live without a large intestine, like people who have to have it removed because something bad happens to it. Since they can't absorb all the water from their poop, it becomes really liquid, almost like diarrhea. |
| Most of the digestive enzymes in the small intestine actually come from the pancreas. |
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