What does the amount of time that feces stay in the large intestine depend on?

Answer 1

It depends on the Motility of the intestines, or the speed at which movement of the intestines moves solid waste matter along.

The rate of Motility depends on several things:

Hydration. If the person is properly hydrated, faecal movement should be normal. A dehydrated person will form small, hard motions that are difficult to pass.

Fibre. The amount of fibre in the diet, such as from fruit, vegetables and cereals. A low fibre diet will cause constipation whereas too much can cause diarrhoea.

Disease. Diseases such as food poisoning, typhoid, Crohns disease will all cause diarrhoea.

Over use of laxatives causes a dependency by which a person cannot have a bowel movement unless he has taken a laxative, and this is very bad for the health. It can disturb the essential electrolyte balance.

All most people need for good bowel habits is a reasonable amount of fruit, veg and water.

Answer 2

It depends on several things including: the health of your digestive organs and glands, exercise/movement, the type of food you're eating, and how much water and coffee you're drinking. There also may be several other factors.

A healthy colon with proper muscle tone will be able to move food along more readily than a sluggish colon with weak tissue and poor tone.

Your adrenal glands control the rate of contractions in the colon via the autonomic nervous system, so weak adrenal glands can result in sluggish digestion.

Exercise and movement stimulate colon contractions, so if you lead a sedentary lifestyle, bowel movements will be infrequent.

Eating a diet rich is raw fruit and veggies provide lots of natural fiber, which stimulates contractions in the colon. However, eating a diet with a lot of meat, dairy (especially processed cheeses), and starch is harder for the body to process and slows down digestion considerably.

Not drinking enough water often results in constipation, while coffee acts as a strong stimulant for bowel movements.

Bowel movements should occur 2-3 times per day. The average American is moving their bowels way less often, and it is largely due to consuming diets rich in meat, dairy, and starches but poor in fresh fruits and vegetables, leading sedentary lifestyles, chronic dehydration, and weakness in digestive organs and glandular function. The only reason many people are moving their bowels at all on a regular basis, is because they consume external stimulants in the form of coffee, laxatives, etc.

Answer 3

your diet, exercise/mobility and your metabolic rate!

Answer 4

the amount of bacteria