Digestive Health Supplements

About Digestive Health Supplements

When it comes to optimal health and wellness, digestion is of paramount importance! Poor digestion and malabsorption negatively affect all aspects of human health, as the gastrointestinal tract is a provider of essential nutrients and hosts the beneficial bacteria that constitute a large portion of the human microbiome.

Digestive disturbances are a common occurence, which is not surprising given the state of the western diet that includes take-away and highly processed food coupled this with poor eating habits. Common digestive compliants include gas, bloating, indigestion, reflux and heartburn.

Though the stomach is an important part of the digestive system, this is not where digestion actually begins. It all starts in the mouth! If your parents even nagged you over chewing your food properly, as it turns out they had your best health interests at heart. Chewing (mastication) breaks down large food pieces, creating a larger surface area for exposure to digestive enzymes. Saliva also contains amylase and lipase, which literally begin digesting food in the mouth, breaking down carbohydrates and fats.

Have you ever noticed the longer your chew starchy foods, the sweeter they taste? This happens because large carbohydrates get broken down into smaller units, some of which break all the way down into sugars. Poor chewing technique puts strain on the rest of the digestive system by sending through large chunks of food without adequate saliva.

Many factors have a negative impact on chewing, such as texting or chatting on the phone while eating. These activities shift our focus of attention and actually change the wiring of our nervous system, which determines blood flow. Performing multiple tasks at the same time activates the sympathetic nervous system, which is not ideal for the organs and tissues involved in digestion and absorption. An increased parasympathetic tone is preferable for healthy digestion, which can be achieved by relaxing and taking one's time whilst eating.

Once food is swallowed, the stomach eventually produces an acidic substance called hydrochloric acid (HCL) with a pH of 2. This acid is important and functions as an anti-bacterial agent, destroying harmful microbes in the food we eat. HCL unfolds (denatures) proteins in preparation for enzymatic breakdown (hydrolysis). Without adequate HCL production, the stomach's defenses are down and digestion suffers, especially protein digestion.

Digestion determines how we absorb the nutrients within our food. The digestive system begins in the mouth and travels all the way to the end of the colon, with many organs and tissues involved such as the salivary glands, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder and intestines. There are countless ways to support digestion with digestive health supplements, including taking digestive enzymes like amylase, protease and lipase, to break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats, respectively. There are natural agents to protect and support the mucous membranes, some of which are slippery elm powder, aloe vera and glutamine.

Natural anti-bacterial agents can assist with pathogenic bacteria overgrowth, while probiotics promote reinoculation after pharmaceutical antibiotic therapy. Hippocrates stated over two-thousand years ago that "All Disease Begins in the Gut". The importance of food digestion and nutrient absorption can not be overemphasised, and can be the difference between vitality and apathy.