Gastrointestinal tract
The small intestine begins at the duodenum and is a tubular structure, usually between 6 and 7 m long. Its mucosal area in an adult human is about 30 m. Its main function is to absorb the products of digestion (including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and vitamins) into the bloodstream. There are three major divisions:
Retroperistalsis
In the small intestine, local stimulation of the intestinal smooth muscle by the presence of food particles causes contractions that tend to travel from the stimulated point in both directions. Under normal circumstances, the progress of the contractions in an oral direction is quickly inhibited, while the contractions travelling away from the mouth tend to persist. If the intestine is paralyzed by applying such drugs as nicotine or cocaine to the intestinal wall, the contractions initiated by local stimulations travel equally well in both directions. Ordinarily, peristaltic waves appear in the small intestine at irregular intervals and travel for varying distances; some travel only a few inches, others a few feet. They serve to expose food to the intestinal wall for absorption and to move it forward.