alleryStart learning →About how much of the water reaching the small intestine is absorbed there?
AAbout 50 percent of it
BAbout 90 percent of it
CAbout 25 percent of it
DAbout 10 percent of it
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. About 90 percent of it
1. About nine liters of fluid enter the small intestine each day, only 2.3 liters of it swallowed.
2. The rest arrives as gastrointestinal secretions such as saliva, gastric juice, bile and pancreatic juice.
3. About 90 percent of that water is absorbed in the small intestine itself.
4. Most of what is left is then absorbed in the colon, leaving just enough to keep feces soft.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 23 "The Digestive System", section 23.7 Chemical Digestion and Absorption: A Closer Look_
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