You might remember this song from the French comic series Asterix and Obelix: “When appetite goes, everything goes!” The song does not mention, however, what happens to the wild boar after the Gallic characters feast on it. Fiction usually glosses over bodily functions out of modesty, but proper digestion and elimination undoubtedly go hand in hand for a happy ending!
In fact, the wild boar that these characters eat goes through a complex process called the digestive system, by which the body extracts the food and nutrients (Nutritional elements that the body requires like proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins and minerals. ) that it needs. Nutrients (Nutritional elements that the body requires like proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins and minerals. ) are small enough to be assimilated in the blood system that carries them to different parts of the body
Everything useless is evacuated and stool is in fact composed of digestive residue. The whole process, from the ingestion of food to elimination of faeces, takes on average 48 to 72 hours for healthy adults. For people with a spinal cord injury (Refers to damage to the spinal medulla. ), transit in the large intestine is slower, depending on the severity of the injury, level of activity, medication and diet.
The digestive process begins in the mouth where food in chewed and washed out in saliva. The food then moves on through the esophagus to makes its way to the stomach where it is soaked in gastric juices and reduced to very small particles. These small particles are carried to the small intestine where the nutrients (Nutritional elements that the body requires like proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins and minerals. ) from the food are absorbed. These nutrients (Nutritional elements that the body requires like proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins and minerals. ) are finally carried throughout the organism to nourish bodily tissues.
Digestive waste moves out through the large intestine or “colon”, which absorbs most of the remaining water and electrolytes (Elements found in body fluids like sodium and potassium, which contribute to the transmission of nerve impulses, regulating the heartbeat and muscle contraction. ).
The colon reabsorbs the water that is contained in fecal matter. This process is most efficient when the stool remains in the colon long enough. If it remains in the intestine longer (what we call transit time), it becomes harder. If the transit time is too fast, the colon cannot reabsorb enough water and the stool is more liquid.
