Intestines how long are they

Additionally, bacteria found in the large intestine can help to further break down any remaining nutrients. Vitamins such as vitamin K are also produced in the large intestine. There are also some specific health conditions that can affect the large intestine. Some of the most common include:. The large intestine is about 5 feet 1. If you stretched out your large intestine, it would be about as long as the width of a queen size bed.

The colon is the longest portion of your large intestine. The other parts — the cecum, rectum, and anus — are all much shorter, only a few inches in length at the most. The large intestine also has a larger diameter than the small intestine. According to a study , the total surface area of your intestines is about half the size of a badminton court.

Your intestines have the very important job of helping to break down and absorb nutrients from what you eat and drink. Once these nutrients are absorbed, they can be delivered via the bloodstream to the rest of your body. Digestion problems can be uncomfortable and can disrupt your daily activities. Learn about common digestion problems such as food intolerances…. Abdominal pain is pain that occurs between the chest and pelvic regions.

Abdominal pain can be crampy, achy, dull, intermittent, or sharp. Learn more…. If your intestine becomes blocked, fluid and digested food can't pass through.

Learn more about bowel obstructions and intestinal blockages here. The jejunum is one of three sections that make up the small intestine. The length of the small intestine is roughly 9—16 feet ft , while the large intestine is shorter, measuring about 5 ft long. The intestines sit in the abdomen and absorb nutrients, vitamins, and water. They form part of the gastrointestinal GI tract and the latter section of the digestive system.

Together, the intestines run from the end of the stomach to the anus. While the intestines can fit inside the abdomen, they are much longer than many people may realize. The exact length of the intestines can also vary from person to person. Older research investigating the length of the intestines in people who donated their body to science suggests an average total intestinal length of about 26 ft, with a range of The study authors emphasize that measurements of intestinal length are rare.

For this reason, there is no scientific evidence that intestinal size or length correlates with health or affects how well digestion works. In this article, we discuss what the research says about the length of the small and large intestines. The small intestine is actually longer than the large intestine but gets its name from its smaller diameter. It is located toward the bottom of the abdomen and connects the stomach to the large intestine. The small intestine makes digestive juice to complete the breakdown of food.

It also absorbs water and nutrients. If the small intestine is unable to absorb enough water, a person may get diarrhea. The small intestine consists of three distinct parts :. It is difficult to measure the length of the small intestine in a healthy living person, but researchers estimate that it ranges from about 9.

The three sections of the small intestine differ significantly in length:. Older research found that the total length of the intestines correlates with weight, such that people who weigh more have longer intestines.

What are the names of the tissue layers of the stomach? What are dimensions of the small intestine? What are reasons to explain why the small intestine Where does the process of digestion begin? Are nutrients absorbed from the large intestine? How do nutrients, absorbed by the small intestine, travel to the individual cells of the human body? Is the pH of the small intestine lower or higher than that of the stomach? Why is the pH of the