Intestine

The intestine occupies a large part of the abdomen. A distinction is made between small and large intestine.

The small intestine follows the belly. In it, the food is broken down further and further. Food nutrients are absorbed into the body through the folded mucous membrane of the small intestine.

The length of the small intestine in adults is between three and six metres. This length depends among other things on the tension, the tone, the small intestine. In the case of pronounced tension, for example during active digestive activity, the small intestine is rather shorter and in the flaccid state it is longer.

Behind the small intestine follows the large intestine. In the large intestine, the liquid chyme is thickened so that it can finally be excreted as feces. The large intestine extracts liquid from the food pulp.

The large intestine winds around the small intestine. It runs from the bottom right to the right costal arch, then across the abdomen and down again on the left side. Normally, the large intestine is about one and a half meters long.

The predisposition also determines the length of the intestine. Some people have a slightly longer intestine than other people. A longer intestine can contribute to a larger abdominal girth to a lesser extent.

Some directions of naturopathy attribute a thick belly and numerous diseases to a flaccidity of the intestine. The intestine would become too thick and bulge outwards due to the flaccidity. As a result of the intestinal flaccidity, a kind of internal poisoning and several health complaints are said to occur.

However, this idea of an excessively thick, bulging intestine is not shared by orthodox medicine. The protruding intestine cannot normally be observed during examinations or abdominal operations.

For some people, however, it helps to carry out a so-called intestinal cleansing.