This is the longest part of the small intestine and is between metres long. The small intestine has a large internal surface area for absorption to happen quickly and efficiently. The villi one is called a villus are tiny, finger-shaped structures that increase the surface area.
Notice the villi touching your arm and hand. Examine the mesh netting simulating the small blood vessels on the outside of the intestine. Remember from your reading that the blood vessels in the wall of the intestine absorb the nutrients from food as it passes through the small intestine. Open the "intestine" to more closely examine the villi.
Notice how the villi create an increased surface area to maximize the absorption of nutrients. Resources Hughes, Sarah, Head of Science. A: Structure and Function Multicellular organisms have a hierarchical structural organization, in which any one system is made up of numerous parts and is itself a component of the next level.
Related Activities. Building with Legos Using Accessible Instructions. Mass of a Penny Lab. Adding Mentos to Soda. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Intestinal villi are tiny, finger-like projections made up of cells that line the entire length of your small intestine.
Your villi villus is the singular, villi is the plural absorb nutrients from the food you eat and then shuttle those nutrients into your bloodstream so they can travel where they're needed.
If you don't have functioning intestinal villi, you can become malnourished or even starve, regardless of how much food you eat, because your body simply isn't able to absorb and make use of that food. Your villi are really tiny—each one is no more than about 1. For comparison, 1. Your villi alternate with depressions called crypts, where your small intestine actually manufactures the cells that form the villi and other parts of the intestinal lining.
While individually the villi and crypts are obviously pretty miniature by themselves, together they provide a huge amount of surface area for nutrients to be absorbed into your bloodstream—almost the surface area of an entire football field, given that your small intestine itself is about 23 feet long. There are several different medical conditions that can cause damage to your intestinal villi. In celiac disease , consumption of the protein gluten found in the grains wheat, barley, and rye triggers your immune system to attack your intestinal villi and wear them down a process called villous atrophy.
Inflammatory bowel disease , which includes Crohn's disease, also can cause your villi to erode, as can lymphoma and certain infections, such as an infection involving the parasite Giardia. Some medications can cause damage to your intestinal villi, as well.
These include Benicar generic name: olmesartan , a blood pressure medicine, and some over-the-counter pain medications, such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
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