Gut transit time

Gut transit time refers to the total amount of time taken by food to travel from the mouth to the anal canal and out as stool. In the mouth, food is chewed, mixed with saliva and swallowed. In the stomach, food gets mixed with stomach acid and the process of digestion begins. Food is then released into the small intestine and this is where the bulk of digestion and absorption takes place. In the large intestine, water is re-absorbed and then the rest of the food matter is excreted. Gut transit time is dependent on a number of factors. Foods high in fiber transit faster compared to low fiber foods. Radiological examination is used to determine an individual?s gut transit time. Normal transit time is 12-24 hours. Beyond 72 hours gut transit time is considered delayed and less than 10 hours is too fast for proper digestion to take place. Medications such as opioids and some neurological pathologies result in slowed transit time.

What is the biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD/DS)?

BPD/DS is a combination restrictive and malabsorptive procedure that reduces the size of the stomach by 70%. The pouch is still a bit larger than with other procedures that use restriction. By connecting the pouch to the lower part of the small intestine, absorption of calories and nutrients is greatly reduced.

Detailed question

Diverticula are small sacs that occur on your large intestine (also called your colon). Some people think that they must stay away from eating seeds because these seeds can get stuck in the openings of these sacs. Can eating seeds develop or worsen diverticulosis?

Does eating seeds affect my condition of diverticulosis?

The majority of scientific literature does not support the hypothesis that by avoiding eating seeds you can avoid future attacks of diverticulitis.

Duodenum

The duodenum lies at the beginning of the small intestine. Together with the jejunum, and the ileum it forms the small intestine. It is connected to the stomach above and the jejunum below it. When food enters the duodenum, there are multiple feed-back pathways and nervous reflexes that will affect how fast the stomach empties as well as the secretion of other hormones.

Digestion

Digestion is a complex process and the objective of the entire process is to provide energy for sustenance of the human body. The human digestive system consists of the digestive tract and other organs that are necessary for the digestion of food, absorption of nutrients, and elimination of waste.