Description of the blog
A Healthy Gut Starts with Healthy Digestion
By Stephanie Allen, ASIN, DSS, DCN
Modern medicine recently began discovering the many links between the health of the digestive tract and the overall well-being of the whole person. Researchers now realize a healthy and balanced digestive tract contributes to emotional well-being, healthy sleep cycles, immune system and hormone balance, healthy metabolism and weight, as well as the body’s ability to absorb nutrients that support all aspects of life.
Our digestive health is reflected in the optimal breakdown of foods — from the salivary glands, throughout digestion and absorption of nutrients, to the elimination of toxins and waste. Digestive health and gut health are very much intertwined. Both work in harmony and are necessary to allow for the best benefits from a healthy diet, while promoting hormone balance and protecting the body from foreign materials.
Complexities of Digestive System Human digestion is a complex process with many stages. At any of these stages, inadequate concentrations of natural digestive acids and enzymes can make digestion problematic.
Stomach acid is critical to digestion and performs many functions in the digestive process. These acids aid in the digestion of protein, facilitate the assimilation of minerals and essential nutrients, control harmful bacteria and parasites that may be present in our food, and stimulate the production of additional digestive enzymes.
Symptoms often believed to be caused by high stomach acid — such as bloating, belching, stomach pain, heartburn and bad breath — can actually be caused by low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) and insufficient digestive enzymes. Age progression often corresponds with lower stomach acid and digestive enzymes, as does stress, alcoholism, infection and chronic acid reducing drugs such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).1
Supplementing diets with digestive enzymes may benefit those experiencing symptoms of hypochlorhydria and low enzymes. Digestive Enzymes with Betaine (WW #10315) is specifically formulated with bile, active digestive enzymes and betaine that may help to break down a diet high in fat, protein and carbohydrates. Digestive Enzymes (Vegetarian) (WW #10292) is a comprehensive blend of enzymes that can enhance the digestion of hard-to-digest foods such as dairy, grains, legumes and vegetables.
Healthy Gut Maintaining a healthy gut lining and microbiome is another part of digestion that is paramount to human health. An optimal microbiome contributes to overall well-being and can affect everything from cognitive health to mood and energy levels. Flora contained in the microbiota influences the hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axis, which influences the brain with production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Ninety-nine percent of the body’s serotonin originates within the microbiome in the gut.
The gut lining is also an important aspect of digestive health. When the one-cell-thick lining of the gut is compromised, environmental factors such as undigested proteins and pathogens are allowed to slip between the tight junctions and past the epithelial barrier, subsequently entering the body via the bloodstream and lymphatic systems. This causes autoimmune reactions in the body, which can lead to the onset of eczema, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue.2 These autoimmune responses have been linked to Parkinson’s disease,3 multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes4 and chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.5 Maintaining the integrity of the gut barrier requires a healthy gut microbiota, as well as healthy intestinal epithelial cells, tight-junction proteins, antimicrobial molecules, immunoglobulins and cytokines.
To help heal the gut lining, Wellness Works offers Gut Restorative PRP (WW #10361), a colostrum-based product providing immunoglobulins and proline rich polypeptides (PRPs) that aid in healing the tight junctions of the gut while restoring the barrier and reducing gut inflammation. PRPs are the most powerful modulators of immune response and regulate the cytokine response that causes inflammation throughout the body.
Repopulating Gut Flora After minimizing the damage to the gut wall, repopulation of the normal gut flora is the next essential step. When choosing a probiotic, it is standard practice to look at the strength of the probiotic — listed as colony forming units (CFUs) — and the number of bacterial species.
Individuals with a compromised microbiota, such as those experiencing gut issues or on antibiotic therapy, will need a probiotic with at least 35 billion CFUs. CFU viability is an important point to consider. Some probiotics do not survive the gastrointestinal tract well enough for the CFUs to take up residence within the intestine. SporeBiotic Max (WW #10396), a spore-based probiotic with exceptional gastric survivability, offers a proprietary blend of 50 billion CFUs. Also note that a prebiotic such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS Powder, WW #10246), when given with any probiotic, will significantly enhance the growth and proliferation of beneficial gut bacteria.
Hippocrates stated that “all disease begins in the gut.” We continue to discover more about how gut and digestive health affect all aspects of human health. Promoting a healthy gut lining, healthy digestion and a balanced microbiota are very useful tools for promoting overall well-being.
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