Why are Small Intestines So Long?
Digestion is an important process that our body does every day. This process involves the breaking down of food particles into molecules so that our body could absorb it. If something goes wrong with our digestive system, we are highly affected because we get weak due to the inability of the body to get nutrients. To be efficient in the absorption of food and nutrients to help the body is the primary reason why our small intestines are long.
The small intestine is where most of the absorption of the nutrients happens. It is around 3 meters or 20 feet long which is really long compared to the other organs of the body. The reason for this is that the intestines are responsible for making sure that the nutrients from the food we eat are absorbed into our body.
The walls of the intestines have these little microscopic arm-like structures called villi that increase its surface area. The increased surface area with the help of the villi also increases the probability of the absorption of the food into the system. When there is more food absorbed, we get more nutrients into the body. More nutrients in the body thus enables us to do the things that we do and for the other organs of the body to function properly.
The length of the small intestines makes sure that we absorb as much as possible all the nutrients that are found in the food we eat. This is necessary for survival because if it does not do that, we would have to consume a huge amount of food just to be able to get the nutrients required for our body to function properly.
We must not forget its importance in the process of the digestive system. We must also take care of it by eating only what is good for us.
October 27, 2017 8:56 am
20 feet is not equal to 3 meters. One meter is about 3.3 feet. In turn, 20 feet is about 6 meters. Further, average small intestine not 20 feet – it is more in the range of 22-23 feet, which is close to 7 meters.