How is the body’s reabsorption of the remaining water from poo using our large intestine not resulting into poisoning or other infection?

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How is the body’s reabsorption of the remaining water from poo using our large intestine not resulting into poisoning or other infection?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Simply, because water is not poisonous or infectious.

The membrane of your colon only absorbs certain substances – mostly water, and a few specific minerals, such as potassium.

Unwanted bacteria and toxic substances simply can’t “fit” through the gaps in the membrane.

Further, your entire digestive system is filled with “friendly”, native bacteria. The native bacteria in your colon and lower intestine out-competes the outsider bacteria for food, and keeps the external bacteria population under control.

As a side note: in situations where your lower gut bacteria population is damaged, the outsider bacteria *can* become established enough to begin causing infection and/or inflammation. Ironically, one of the things that can cause this is being on extended courses of antibiotics – the antibiotics kill your native bacteria, and leave the door open to colonisation by unwanted, antibiotic-resistent bacteria to take it’s place.

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