3rd entry: Where do the undigested food go?

Where do the undigested food go?

The large intestine
Large intestine is the part of the digestive system where waste products(undigested food) from the food you eat are collected and processed into faeces.
The large intestine is about 1.5 m long, it consists of the caecum, appendix, colon and rectum.

The large intestine reabsorbs water and maintains the fluid balance of our body. It also can absorb vitamins and process undigested food. After that, it can help store the waste before they are gotten rid of.



Caecum

It is the first part of the large intestine. It looks like a small pouch and is located in the right lower abdomen. It connects small intestine to the colon.



The caecum accepts and stores processed material from the small intestine and moves them to the colon. As the processed food reach the end of the small intestine, a valve separating the small and large intestines opens, and the caecum expands for the material to enter.

The mixture normally contains:



-undigested food
-water
-some vitamins
-some minerals or salts

Appendix

The appendix is a small projection emerging from the caecum. ( Also shown in the picture of the Caecum above )

In a human body, the appendix has no function actually. If it gets infected of inflamed, it needs to be removed by surgery.

Colon

It's shaped like a inverted 'U', and is known to be the longest part inside our large intestine.

As faeces travels through the colon, the lining of the colon absorbs most of the water and some vitamins as well as minerals. There are bacteria in the colon that chemically break down some of the fibre to produce nutrients for themselves and to nourish the cells lining the colon. The muscular movement of the colon helps to push the faeces into the rectum for further processes.

I will move further into the Rectum, Anus, Liver as well as the gall bladder on my next entry. That's all for today's post.

References

http://www.toilet-related-ailments.com/images/CecumColorNew.jpg

http://www.gesa.org.au/digestive-system/large_intestine.cfm

http://www.mrslarsonsclass.com/digestivesystempictures/Large%20Intestine%203.jpg.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Intestine