An expert guide to keeping you regular
Your digestive system works around the clock to process food and convert it into the energy required by the different parts of our body every day. This process of breaking down food and absorbing its nutrients is called digestion and begins before you even put any food in your mouth; your mouth will start producing saliva as soon as you smell food. The whole digestive process can take between 24 hours and 48 hours to complete, with waste matter finally reaching the end of its journey when you go to the loo.
The average digestive tract is about nine metres long, around the length of a double-decker bus!
Food is mixed with saliva in the mouth and then is swallowed down through the oesophagus (which connects the mouth and stomach) and then starts its journey down through the alimentary canal, or digestive tract.
Food is moved along the digestive system by a wave-like ripple effect caused by the contraction of muscles lining the digestive tract. This action is called peristalsis. As food passes through the bowel the water within it is absorbed through the walls of the bowel into the body with the waste products remaining to form the stool. Usually, by the time you go to the loo the majority of the water has been absorbed.
For more information on the processes involved click here to see an animation of How Digestion Works
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How it works and what happens when you get constipated.
