Do You Know Where Digestion Starts?

The small intestine is responsible for absorbing water, nutrients, and electrolytes while continuing the digestion process. Approximately 90% of all digestion happens in the first two sections which will total about 3 meters if measured. This is the area of essentially all protein and lipid digestion and where most digestion is happening. The jejunum’s role is digesting most of what has moved through to this section of the GI tract. The inner tissues have villi and micro-villi where absorption takes place by active transport. Two important processes happening here - the villi projections are using a carrier molecule and expending ATP energy. The micro-villi absorb smaller units of carbohydrate, protein and lipids. Water and electrolytes are also absorbed mainly during this stage.

The large intestine is different in a few ways.. There is different absorption occurring in what is also called the colon. In this structure, bile salts, water and electrolytes are all processed in what will be the final digestive process for the chewed food. The large intestine uses bacterial flora to break down undigested matter by using the process of fermentation. The large intestine is also responsible for synthesizing both biotin and Vitamin K, and then absorbs these items through active transport. In addition to these actions, the fermentation process can produce approximately 500 mil of various gases every 24 hours (methane, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide).

“So as you can see the digestive system is a nutrient absorption sponge with a built in filtration system for the body by taking what is needed for proper system functions and sending nutrients through out the entire body. The rest is waste that is not needed. Overtime the passing waste can collect on the intestinal walls creating a toxic layer in blocking the absorption of nutrients causing risky side effects to the body such as fatigue, weight gain, and leaving the body susceptible to cancer, diseases, and disorders. One of several ways of improving and keeping healthy digestion is to do a soft cleanse several times a year.”