13 Facts About Small intestine

Small intestine or small bowel is an organ in the gastrointestinal tract where most of the absorption of nutrients from food takes place.

Small intestine has three distinct regions – the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum.

Small intestine receives a blood supply from the celiac trunk and the superior mesenteric artery.

Three sections of the small intestine look similar to each other at a microscopic level, but there are some important differences.

Small intestine develops from the midgut of the primitive gut tube.

Between weeks six and ten the small intestine rotates anticlockwise, as viewed from the front of the embryo.

Many of the digestive enzymes that act in the small intestine are secreted by the pancreas and liver and enter the small intestine via the pancreatic duct.

The small intestine is the site where most of the nutrients from ingested food are absorbed.

Small intestine is found in all tetrapods and in teleosts, although its form and length vary enormously between species.

The length of the small intestine is typically longer in tetrapods than in teleosts, but is especially so in herbivores, as well as in mammals and birds, which have a higher metabolic rate than amphibians or reptiles.

The lining of the small intestine includes microscopic folds to increase its surface area in all vertebrates, but only in mammals do these develop into true villi.

The lining of the spiral intestine is similar to that of the small intestine in teleosts and non-mammalian tetrapods.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the small intestine is a yang organ.