Angie's LIST Guide to
Gastroenterology

The rectum and the colon form a muscular tube known as the large intestine, which is part of the digestive tract, also known as the digestive system. The digestive tract is the group of organs that allows you to eat and helps the body to create necessary fuel. When you eat, food that has been partially digested enters the small intestine, then the colon.

The colon is the first section of the large intestine and measures between four and five feet in length. It helps remove nutrients and water from the food that convert into energy for the body. The colon turns the remaining food into waste, fecal stool, which passes through the colon, into the rectum—last few inches of the large intestine—and out of the body through the anus. 

Eating healthy, including a regular diet of fruits, vegetables and fiber, helps to keep the large intestine healthy. Your fecal stools contain bacteria broken down from the foods you eat, so if the bacteria are not passed out of the body, you may experience discomfort, such as gas, pain and bloating. When bacteria begin to build up in the large intestine, it may lead to tumors of the rectum, colon and inner wall of the large intestine. Benign tumors are known as polyps, and malignant tumors are cancers. If you're feeling chronic gastric discomfort, it's important to seek the advice and treatment of a colorectal specialist or surgeon as soon as possible to prevent more damage to the adjacent organs and tissues.