Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 12/7/2007

Question
in biology class, we had a worksheet that said that we(humans) CAN NOT live without our small intestine. I said that we can, but only if we had a "bag" put in place of the small intestine to break down(although only being on a liquid diet). She then said "Tell me how, then, do you get your nutrients." So... I looked it up. After putting together the info that i collected, i went back to her and said that we would simply drink something like a protein drink with amino acids that the stomach can transport to the blood. She then asked how we would get carbs. I said that we would drick complex carbs, such as glucose, fructose, and galactose. She said to elaborate. Here I am stuck and need you expert help. Please help me.     Thanks in advance,
                Jake 12/6/07


Answer
Dear Jake,

You *might* be able to live for a while without your small intestine if you were put on intravenous drip with lactated Ringer Solution and a very dilute solution of sugars.  But it's doubtful you could get enough over time to sustain you for long.

And would you really want that bad quality of life?

You still need your intestine to house the symbiotic bacteria that provide you with essential nutrients, and the intestine participates in many other functions, including controlling osmotic balance and even in the immune system response, producing several important immunoglobins.  There's much more to it that simply passing and processing food.

But it's good to question things, since that's how we learn.  Hooray for you!  :)

Dana