2023-04-24 14:16:05
You’d think people’s guts look somewhat similar. But a new study now proves otherwise.
In biology class at school you learn that the large intestine is about 150 centimeters long, while the small intestine is about five meters long. However, this does not have to be the case for everyone. In fact, the size and length of human intestines can actually differ significantly from each other. “If you’re talking to four different people, chances are all four’s intestines will be different lengths,” said researcher Erin McKenney.
Length
For this study, researchers measured the digestive organs of 45 deceased people who had donated their lifeless bodies to science. And it shows that there is a remarkable variation in the anatomy of the human digestive system. “More than a century ago, research showed that the relative length of the human gut varied,” says researcher Amanda Hale. “However, this area has since been largely ignored. When we started studying this issue, we were amazed at the magnitude of the variability we discovered.”
blind intestine
A good example is the appendix, a small vermiform appendage of the large intestine. At least, it looks that way on some people. “The appendix is located at the junction of the large and small intestines,” McKenney explains. “One may have a few centimeters appendix, while the other is much larger. We found similar variability in many other digestive organs.”
Women
Another striking example is the length of the small intestine. For example, the researchers discovered that women generally have a longer small intestine than men. “When you have a longer small intestine, you’re better able to get nutrients from your diet,” Hale says. “Our finding therefore supports the existing hypothesis that women are better able to survive during periods of stress.”
Health issues
In short, one intestine is not the other. Apparently there are marked differences. The findings therefore have implications for our understanding of the role that the anatomy of the digestive tract may play in human health. “So there’s more variety than we thought,” says McKenney. “This may provide more insight into what exactly underlies various health problems – and how to treat them. Now that we know that this variability exists, it raises some interesting research questions that need further investigation.”
Medical students
The researchers suspect that the discovery could, for example, provide new insights into medical diagnoses and possibly even the microbial ecosystem of the gut. But the consequences go further. For example, the study not only sheds new light on the unexpected variability in human anatomy, but also emphasizes that medical students should be better informed about this anatomical variation. “It’s especially important in medical schools,” said researcher Roxanne Larsen. “Because if students only learn about a ‘normal’ or ‘average’ gut, they probably won’t become familiar with the scope of human variation in this area.”
Precision Medicine
In addition, the results have implications for so-called ‘precision medicine’. Within healthcare, precision medicine means that medical treatment is tailored to the individual characteristics of a patient and everyone is served ‘tailor-made’. “It is becoming increasingly clear that the medical community is moving towards personalized and more targeted treatments to improve patient outcomes and overall health and well-being,” says Larsen. “Gaining experience in understanding anatomical variation can therefore play a critical role in helping future physicians understand the importance of precision medicine.”
With the study, the researchers have once again proven that even our own bodies still have surprises in store for us. “We are excited about our discovery and what it could lead to in the future,” says McKenney. “It also underscores how little we actually know about our own bodies.”
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