The colon is also known as the large intestines. Before food and water reaches it, they have to pass through the small intestines. So it would be good to describe about the small intestines’ function. It is made up of duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. - Duodenum (1 foot long) absorbs the minerals.
- Jejunum (8 feet long) absorbs the water-soluble vitamins, carbohydrates, and proteins.
- Ileum (about 12 feet long) absorbs the fat-soluble vitamins, cholesterol, fat, and bile salts.
It is about 5 feet long and made of three parts: ascending, transverse, and descending. Its function is to store waste, reclaim water, maintain water balance in our body, and also absorb certain vitamins like Vitamin K.
Chyme, a thick fluid mass of partially digested food and gastric secretions, enters the ascending portion. Almost all the nutrients and 90% of the water by this time has already been absorbed our body.
Then it will move across to the transverse portion where liquid and nutrients are extracted to make it into a semi-solid state where it is mixed with mucus and gut flora.
By the time it reaches the descending part, the stool has about 2/3 of water, undigested fiber, and food products. The remaining 1/3 are living and dead bacteria.
The bacteria break down some of the fiber for their own nourishment and create waste products, which in turn are used by the cell lining of the large intestines for nourishment.
The last portion is the sigmoid colon before it reaches the end which is the rectum for excretion.
Our colon plays an important role because it is the sewage and waste disposal system in our body. We would not want this system to break down, otherwise all these waste will basically flow back into our body system.
The amazing part of the large intestine is that it is able to move the waste and toxic materials through the long tubes of ascending to transverse to descending portions.
The way it does so is using a process known as peristalsis which involves the colorectal muscles creating a wave-like motion. This helps it to move the stool to our rectum to be excreted and removed from our body.
More Resources on its detoxification process and care:
1. Liver Function
