Colon and small intestine


Free

E-newsletter

Subscribe to Housecall

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

Image

Colon and small intestine

Illustration showing colon and small intestine

The small intestine and colon are components of your digestive tract, which processes the foods you eat. The small intestine and colon extract nutrients and water from the foods. What isn't absorbed by the small intestine and colon continues along the digestive tract and is expelled as stool during a bowel movement.
IM00028

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

  • Print
  • Share on:

  • Email

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger