All articles tagged with #gut transit time
Gut transit time, the duration for food to pass through the gastrointestinal tract, averages around 28 hours in healthy adults with significant individual variability influenced by diet, lifestyle, and hormonal factors. Understanding and optimizing transit time through diet, hydration, and activity can promote gut health, microbial balance, and overall well-being.
The time it takes to digest food varies depending on factors such as the composition of one's diet, age, stress levels, and lifestyle. Studies suggest that food can take anywhere from 0.4 to 15.3 hours to leave the stomach and from 3.3 to 7 hours to pass through the entire small intestine. The indigestible parts of food can remain in the large intestine for approximately 15.9 to 28.9 hours. Foods rich in dietary fiber, protein, complex carbohydrates, and fats tend to take longer to digest. Lifestyle factors such as thorough chewing, hydration, and exercise can speed up digestion, while age, stress, certain medical conditions, and medications can affect digestion.