2023/12/04 by Fioramonti, Jean
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paper · doi:10.17180/x5v1-9129
The ability of the digestive tract to digest food and absorb nutrients is considerable. Several characteristics of the digestive physiology aim to have an optimal contact between food and enzymes and to favor nutrient absorption. The stomach plays a key role in digestion by allowing the passage through the pylorus of small particles only and by regulating emptying of its content to have the best digestion in the small intestine. Contractions of the small intestine are organized in time and space to offer the biggest contact area between food and the intestinal mucosa. The two main functions of the colon are to absorb water and electrolytes, and to digest dietary fiber, bacterial enzymes only being able to do that.