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Digestive Distress
Digestion
Digestion is the process in which the body breaks down foods we eat into usable components. Digestion
begins as soon as you place food in your mouth. The teeth break up the food and mix it with saliva for
softening. From the mouth, the food passes into the esophagus. Muscles in the esophagus automatically and
rhythmically contract to move food towards the stomach.
The stomach serves as a temporary storage pouch. Here, food is churned into a slushy fluid and mixed with
gastric juices for further breakdown. Depending on the speed of digestion, food may stay in the stomach for
several hours.
From the stomach, food particles move into the small intestine where nutrients are absorbed into the
bloodstream. Then food passes into the large intestine (colon). Waste products are excreted through the
rectum and anus.
The Role of Enzymes
The body needs enzymes (specialized proteins) to break up food into usable forms. There are three major
groups of digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas and secreted into the small intestine. Protease is the
name of a group of enzymes that break down protein. Two main proteases are trypsin and chymotrypsin.
Amylase breaks down starches into simple sugars. A small amount of amylase is also secreted by the salivary
glands and released in the mouth. Lipase is a group of enzymes that digest fats and absorb nutrients through
the intestines. Some other pancreatic enzymes include nucleases (breaks up nucleic acids), sucrase (breaks
sucrose into glucose and fructose), maltase (breaks down maltose into glucose) and lactase (breaks lactose
into glucose and galactose).
Some enzymes are secreted into the stomach. The main gastric enzyme is pepsin, which breaks down
protein. Other examples of gastric enzymes include gelatinase (breaks down gelatin and collagen in meats),
gastric amylase (breaks down starches) and gastric lipase (breaks down a type tributyrin, a type of butter
fat).
Aging and Digestive Enzymes
Mona Morstein, N.D., Naturopathic Physician with Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health
Sciences in Tempe, AZ, says as we age, the production of digestive enzymes sometimes decreases. Food isn’t
broken down as readily, causing digestive complaints, like bloating, gas, stomach cramping and heartburn.
Stool analysis can be done to see how much undigested food passes through the gastrointestinal tract. There
are also tests that can be done to measure enzyme levels, such as the Elastase 1, which measures the levels
of the pancreatic enzyme, elastase in a stool sample. Another test, The Heidelberg pH Diagnostic System,
measures the level of gastric acidity in the digestive tract.
If enzyme levels are low, Morstein says there are two ways to improve their numbers. First, certain foods, like
grains, vegetables (especially leafy greens, cauliflower and broccoli), pineapple, papaya, apple cider vinegar
and bitters, have naturally high levels of digestive enzymes. However, cooking kills the enzymes. So these
foods must be eaten raw or cooked very lightly.
Enzyme supplements can be taken. However, Morstein cautions that there are many different kinds of
supplements. Some of these can cause more problems for certain people, so patients should seek advice from
a physician or nutritionist trained in the use of supplements. The health care expert will determine the
patient’s exact needs and recommend the specific enzyme supplements needed by the patient.
For general information about digestion or digestive problems:
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
For information on Naturopathic Medicine, click here.
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