The function of the large intestine in the human digestive system

The large intestine

Large intestine

The large intestine .

The large intestine is a tube that starts from the end of the small intestine  , and ends with the anus which is located at the end of the rectum , It is shorter than the small intestine in length , the large intestine is considered thicker in diameter  , the large intestine is about 5 feet ( 1.5 m ) in length .

The large intestine is connected to the ileum of the small intestine via the ileocecal sphincter , from the ileocecal sphincter the large intestine forms a side ways T extending both superiorly and inferiorly .

The large intestine wraps around the border of the abdominal body cavity from the right side of  the body  , across the top of the abdomen and finally down the left side .

The function of the large intestine

The large intestine stores the wastes  ( the food remains) , then ejects  them outside the body through the anus .

The large intestine is the final section of the gastrointestinal tract that performs the vital task of absorbing the water and the vitamins , and it converts the digested food into feces .

The function of the rectum

The rectum absorbs the water from the food remains ( the wastes )  , The absorption of the water by the large intestine does not help only to condense and solidify the feces , but it also allows the body to retain the water to be used in other metabolic processes .

The ions and the nutrients released by gut bacteria and dissolved in the water are also absorbed in the large intestine and used by the body for the metabollism .

The dried , condensed fecal material is finally stored in the rectum and sigmoid colon until it can be eliminated from the body through the process of the defecation .

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