Where is the bowel
How the bowel works
your digestive system consists of all
the organs involved in breaking down the
food you eat absorbing nutrients and
eliminating waste products when you take
a bite of food your digestive system is
activated automatically
in the stomach the food is broken down
into smaller pieces and digestive juices
are added the now liquid food is passed
on to the small intestine where the
nutrients are absorbed and digested in
the large intestine also called the
colon water and salts are absorbed
causing the waste products to become
firmer and turn into stool
the stool is then pushed through the
intestine towards the rectum by a series
of muscle contractions known as
peristalsis you have three to four major
peristaltic movements each day the time
it takes for food to pass through your
digestive system is called the transit
time the average transit time for
females is two point four days and one
point nine days for males when stool
fills your rectum nerve endings register
that your bowel wall becomes distended
and a signal is sent to your brain
telling you that it's time to find a
toilet at the same time your internal
sphincter relaxes by reflex and stool
moves down towards the anus when you are
ready you consciously allow the external
sphincter to relax and stool is expelled
in between going to the toilet both the
internal and the external anal sphincter
are contracted to keep you continent and
to prevent leakage
