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Bowel
About the bowel
The bowel, or intestine, is the muscular tube of the digestive system that processes food, absorbing nutrients and minerals and forming waste.
It consists of the small bowel, which absorbs most nutrients and the large bowel (colon, rectum and anus), which absorbs water and forms stool. Its contents are moved along by wave-like muscle contractions (peristalsis) and it eventually eliminates waste products from the body.