Diagram of the Colon

The small intestine sucks the nutrients out of what you eat and then pours the leftover sludge into the cecum. This sludgy waste then moves from the cecum to the colon for further processing.

The colon absorbs water from the sludge while transporting it toward the rectum. In the process, the colon may also absorb harmful materials. The longer it takes for waste to pass through the colon, the greater the chance of absorbing such materials.

You can tell how long waste sits in your colon by how often you poop. In general, the more you poop, the faster your colon is processing material.