Why does the colon neeed laxatives to treat them constipation? Why can’t simply drinking lots of water dissolve and flush the constipated feces out of the body?
In: Biology
The large intestine’s main job is to reabsorb water and minerals left over by the small intestine so you don’t lose immense amounts of it as diarrhea, just drinking a lot of water helps but a lot of it will simply be absorbed by the intestines before it can really soften stool further down and will be excreted via urine.
Different laxatives work can work in several ways: increasing water secretion in the small intestine, increasing water and fat incorporation into the stool in the small intestine, osmotically minimizing water absorption in the large intestine, or increasing intestinal muscle activity.
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