doesn't small intestine absorb water?

[joonkimdds]

I thought it does.
I just took a kaplan exam and a question says

"Water absorption occurs primarily in the
A. duodenum.
B. jejunum.
C. stomach.
D. large intestine.
E. mouth."

explanation says "The large intestine is primarily involved in water reabsorption" and the answer is D.

But I think small intestine absorb water. My class note says most of water is actually absorbed in small intestine. What large intestine absorbs is basically left-over water that small intestine couldn't finish absorbing.

I am confused.

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[gentile1225]

No, Kaplan is correct. The large intestine, aka the colon, is responsible for the most reabsorption of water in the body. Whereas, the small intestine is responsible for most digestion.

 

[gentile1225]

Also, the duodenum and the jejunum are both parts of the small intestine so that could have helped to eliminate 2 answers. Also, the stomach's main function is the storage of food.

 

[joonkimdds]

I am not sure about that.
I am looking at the power point slides from human physiology class.
it says.
"Most digestion and absorption takes place in the small intestine
protein...carbohydrates...lipids...nucleic acids
Other Things Absorbed
WATER!! Electrolytes Vitamins, minerals"

*I didn't put !! next water. My professor did.

and small intestine from wikipedia says
"Water and lipids are absorbed by passive diffusion throughout"


and this website
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/smallgut/index.html
says
"The net effect of passage through the small intestine is absorption of most of the water and electrolytes (sodium, chloride, potassium) and essentially all dietary organic molecules (including glucose, amino acids and fatty acids). Through these activities, the small intestine not only provides nutrients to the body, but plays a critical role in water and acid-base balance"

 

[Danny289]

I thought it does.
I just took a kaplan exam and a question says

"Water absorption occurs primarily in the
A. duodenum.
B. jejunum.
C. stomach.
D. large intestine.
E. mouth."

explanation says "The large intestine is primarily involved in water reabsorption" and the answer is D.

But I think small intestine absorb water. My class note says most of water is actually absorbed in small intestine. What large intestine absorbs is basically left-over water that small intestine couldn't finish absorbing.

I am confused.

large intestine is the answer. pay attention to the word"primarily" and again open your textbook.

 

[joonkimdds]

large intestine is the answer. pay attention to the word"primarily" and again open your textbook.

If we say both small and large intestine absorb water, doesn't it make small intestine primary since water passes small first and reaches large?

 

[Sublimation]

http://www.colonhealth.net/colon_hydrotherapy/ct_funct.htm

 

[krazchikin]

If we say both small and large intestine absorb water, doesn't it make small intestine primary since water passes small first and reaches large?

In this case, primarily doesn't mean in order of sequence....it's used to describe the MAIN function....the small intestine's main function is to digest the incoming chyme and absorb the nutrients....of course it's going to absorb some water because the small intestine wall is not impermeable and is hyperosmotic to the blood....so yeah...hope that's the end of that...haha

 

[lhtran07]

I just took a kaplan exam and a question says

"Water absorption occurs primarily in the
A. duodenum.
B. jejunum.
C. stomach.
D. large intestine.
E. mouth."

explanation says "The large intestine is primarily involved in water reabsorption" and the answer is D.

But I think small intestine absorb water. My class note says most of water is actually absorbed in small intestine. What large intestine absorbs is basically left-over water that small intestine couldn't finish absorbing.

I am confused.

You have to reword the question to find out what it is really asking. Another way of looking at it is "what is the primary function of each of these parts...which organ's primary function is to absorb water?"

From wiki:

In mammals, the small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract (gut) following the stomach, and is where the vast majority of digestion takes place.

The large intestine is the last part of the digestive system in vertebrate animals. Its function is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter, and then to pass this useless waste material from the body.

 

[doc3232]

Keep it simple of you will miss questions on the actual test and will also waste time.

 

[Mosin]

Ya know, I got this question wrong on a test in a class because I said large intestine, but the teacher said ileum... I never should have doubted MY knowledge of anatomy...😀😉

 

[DAT Destroyer]

I thought it does.
I just took a kaplan exam and a question says

"Water absorption occurs primarily in the
A. duodenum.
B. jejunum.
C. stomach.
D. large intestine.
E. mouth."

explanation says "The large intestine is primarily involved in water reabsorption" and the answer is D.

But I think small intestine absorb water. My class note says most of water is actually absorbed in small intestine. What large intestine absorbs is basically left-over water that small intestine couldn't finish absorbing.

I am confused.

The answer choices are Duodenum and jejunum. These are part of the small intestine, not the entire intestine. It consists of duodenum, jejunum and illeum - all function in digestion. Since small intestine was not a choice, large intestine as a whole would be a better choice.

 

[gangazi]

The answer choices are Duodenum and jejunum. These are part of the small intestine, not the entire intestine. It consists of duodenum, jejunum and illeum - all function in digestion. Since small intestine was not a choice, large intestine as a whole would be a better choice.

Thank you orgoman!!