Download The Intestines

The Intestines
The Intestines
• We need to get perspective on
the length of the digestive tract
• In order for that to happen we
need to figure out the length of
the human digestive tract
• For a normal human, the
digestive tract can be 27 – 33
feet long
• Lets measure it out!
The Intestines
• The intestines take up the bulk
majority of that length
• This is because the two
intestines are designed to
absorb materials that exit the
stomach
• The longer that each intestinal
segment is, the better chance it
has of absorbing nutrients
The Intestines
• The small intestine is a 18-20ft
tube that is involved in absorbing
food that has passed through the
stomach
• Around 90% of the nutrients that
are absorbed by the body are
absorbed through the small
intestine
• The large intestine is a 5ft
horseshoe shaped organ that
absorbs water and pushes the
remainder of the unabsorbed food
out of the body
The Intestines
• http://www.webmd.com/diet/o
besity/video/bariatric-surgery
The Small Intestine
• The small intestine has the job of
absorbing food for the body
• However, more surface area
contact between food and
intestine means that there will
be more absorb ion
• We have previously talked about
the ways to increase food
surface area, now it is time to
think about the small intestine
The Small Intestine
• The small intestine is roughly 20
feet long and 1 inch wide
• With a partner, come up with an
estimation for the total surface
area of the small intestine
• That would mean…
• How many square feet would the
small intestine be if we laid it out flat
like a rug
• This measurement should be in (ft2)
• Go ahead and give it a try!
• The answer?
• Roughly 2,700ft2
• Roughly the size of a tennis
court
Or In A Slightly More Depressing Fact
• Look up your house on Zillow.com (a real estate website)
• See if the surface area of your intestine is bigger or smaller than the floor space of your home…
The Small Intestine
• So how is such a large surface
area possible?
• Each part of the intestine is
packed with little finger-like
projections called villi
• These villi are covered in even
smaller microvilli that help
absorb and increase surface area
even more
• The combination of these two
create that large surface area
The Small Intestine
• The small intestine has three main
sections that all perform different
functions
• These sections are all based off
how far away from the stomach
the section of intestine happens to
be
• The duodenum is the first part of
the intestine and is a mixing bowl
for many different chemicals
• The duodenum is normally only 10
inches long
The Small Intestine
• The jejunum is the middle
section to the intestine that is
heavly involved in nutrient
absorption
• It is normally around 8 feet long
• The ileum is the final and
longest (11ft) segment of the
small intestine
• It is involved in nutrient
absorption and the flow of
material into the large intestine
The Small Intestine
• Stupid way to remember the
sections of the intestine…
• Duodenum
• Jejunum
• Ileum
• Who is playing at the hottest
clubs?
• DJ Ileum