![]() A variety of diseases and infections may cause inflammation of the small intestine, which can cause abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. If these movements are impaired, you may experience indigestion and constipation. The muscle movements of the small intestine help break food down and process it through your body. If these functions are impaired, you may experience nutritional deficiencies and watery stools ( diarrhea). The small intestine absorbs nutrients and water from your food. What happens if the small intestine is not working properly? Special immune cells line the ileum to protect against bacteria. Nerves and hormones signal the valve to open to let food pass through and close to keep bacteria out. The ileocecal valve separates the ileum from the large intestine. In the ileum, segmentation slows down and peristalsis takes over, moving food waste gradually toward the large intestine. The rest will be absorbed in your large intestine. It also absorbs about 90% of the water that it receives during digestion. This is why 95% of the carbohydrates and protein you consume are absorbed in the small intestine. The thick mucosa has so many folds and projections that its surface area is about 100 times as broad as the surface area of your skin. Each section is designed to absorb different nutrients, as well as water. In the jejunum and the ileum, the mucosa secretes small amounts of digestive enzymes and lubricating mucus while absorbing nutrients from your food. The walls of the small intestine are lined with a dense mucosa with many glands that both secrete and absorb. Other muscle movements ( peristalsis) keep the food moving gradually forward. Nerves in the intestinal walls trigger its muscles to churn food back and forth (segmentation), mixing it with digestive juices. JejunumĪfter chemical digestion in the duodenum, food moves into the jejunum, where the muscle work of digestion picks up. Hormone glands in the lining of the duodenum signal these organs to release their chemicals when food is present. Ducts from these organs feed into the duodenum. To help break food down, the small intestine receives digestive juices from other organs in your digestive system, including your liver, gallbladder and pancreas. How do the different parts of the small intestine work? Duodenum Moves food along the gastrointestinal tract.The small intestine is where most of the long process of digestion takes place. Food spends the most time in the ileum, where the most water and nutrients are absorbed. Here the walls of the small intestine begin to thin and narrow, and blood supply is reduced. The ileum is the last and longest section of the small intestine. The jejunum is characterized by many blood vessels, which give it a deep red color. Its middle section, called the jejunum, makes up a little less than half of this remaining length. The remaining small intestine lays in many coils inside the lower abdominal cavity. It’s a short, descending chute (about 10 inches long) that curves around the pancreas in a “C” shape before connecting to the rest of the coiled intestines. The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine that the stomach feeds into. Although there is no real separation between the parts, they do have slightly different characteristics and roles to play. The small intestine has a beginning section, a middle section and an end section. What are the different parts of the small intestine? The small intestine is the longest part of the GI tract, and it is where most of your digestion takes place. The intestines are responsible for breaking food down, absorbing its nutrients and solidifying the waste. The small bowel connects to the large bowel, also called the large intestine or colon. When food leaves your stomach, it enters the small intestine, also called the small bowel. It makes up part of the long pathway that food takes through your body, called the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The small intestine is part of your digestive system. The small intestine sits under the stomach.
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