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Intestinal Fortitude: How Our Intestines Work For many people, the body is an amazing form. With so many body systems, it is a wonder how it is able to maintain such a precise degree of homeostasis. Each component depends on the other to work properly. For example, the heart must pump blood through the respiratory system in order to profuse the blood with oxygen. The blood carries the oxygen through the body by attaching it to heme groups. This perfusion of blood is carried throughout the body to the different systems such as the gastro-intestinal tract, which breaks down food for packaging and storage. About the Gut The body's GI system is very complex. Although many people believe the stomach to be the first place of digestion, it actually begins in the mouth, which is considered to be the beginning of the gut. As food is taken into the mouth, salivary glands produce a number of enzymes that begin pre-digestion or breakdown of the food for a smoother transition through the thorax. Once in the stomach, bile and chyme are then produced en masse for further breakdown. The bile begins to prepare the food for absorption in the small intestine, where vital minerals and essential nutrients will be extracted. The partially digested food passes from the stomach into the small intestine, where it will be transferred through a series of turns and folds through peristalsis. The small intestine extracts the essential nutrients from the food by a process called absorption. Absorption is when nutrients pass through the small intestine into the blood stream where they are carried to specific cell sites within the body. Check here for UK high performance car insurance or convicted drivers insurance! Once all essential nutrients are extracted, the food will pass through the small intestine and venture on to the colon. The colon is where some foods may pass back to the small intestine to be reabsorbed, or the food will continue on to the colon for elimination. By the time food reaches the large intestine, it is mainly large clumps of bile. While in the large intestine, fluids are filtered out of the colon and moved through the kidneys. One last pass through the renal system (kidneys) filters out any remaining nutrients. All other fluids are turned into urea and will be eliminated from the body in the form of urine. Likewise, the colon continues to find any useful nutrients left in the large bolus of bile. Once all nutrients are extracted (or as much as the large intestine can extract), the bolus of food leaves the body in the form of fecal matter. Things to Know
The GI tract is a very versatile part of
the body and can sustain large insults in the forms of spicy foods,
large amounts of food, medicines, and other substances. However, one
should be careful as to how their particular intestines are treated.
Spicy foods have the potential to cause ulcers. Medicines have the
potential to cause GI bleeding. Large amounts of food can cause
blockage, which can lead to constipation. A balanced diet of
protein, dark leafy green vegetables, fruits, and grains should be
consumed regularly in order to allow for proper function of the GI
tract and the body in general. |
