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Cells, Microbes & Viruses / How are bacterial by products absorbed by the body?
« on: 16/06/2011 19:22:15 »
In your digestive tract most of the bacteria are located in your large intestine because most of them can't survive the acidic conditions of stomach and not sure whether or not there are some in the small intestine but none that I'm aware of. Since all of the absorption of nutrients from foods occure in the small intestine (most in the begining parts), how does the bacterial flora located in the large intestine help with digestion? Only water is absorbed in the Large intestine so even if they do break down what our enzymes can't break down, how are those fats and other fermentation products absorbed and used by our bodies? If they aren't absorbed by the body then how can they be so important to our bodies?