Common Digestive Symptoms With Far-Reaching Consequences
If bloating, gas, heartburn, constipation, or diarrhea are part of your daily life, your digestive system isn't working well. You might be surprised to learn that the health consequences from poor digestion go well beyond temporary discomfort.
When your digestive system isn't functioning optimally, it can't accomplish its main task -- breaking down the foods you eat into microscopic bits and pieces that the body can absorb. Without proper absorption, the essential nutrients the body needs to thrive never reach the bloodstream or the body parts that need them.
Should you ignore these digestive symptoms or -- as modern marketing tells you -- take some antacids or other medicines to stifle them, at least temporarily?
Or should you uncover the root cause of your symptoms and address that problem? This option can provide long-term relief from uncomfortable digestive problems, but if that’s not enough motivation to search out the root cause, read on to learn about other ways that a properly functioning digestive system will support critical systems in your body.
The Endocrine System
The endocrine system is one of the body’s main control centers – it operates through glands that produce hormones to send instructions throughout the body. The building blocks of hormones are found in a properly prepared, nutrient-dense diet that is properly digested, absorbed into the bloodstream, and sent to various glands.
A few examples help illustrate how digestion supports the endocrine system:
A well-functioning pancreas and gall bladder (parts of the digestive system) play essential roles in digesting fats so they can be absorbed into the bloodstream and sent to the adrenal glands to produce sex hormones, including estrogen and testosterone, or directly to cells to produce anti-inflammatory hormones.
The stomach, pancreas, and small intestine work together to break down protein-rich foods containing tyrosine so its molecular components can be absorbed into the bloodstream and sent to the thyroid glands to make the hormones that regulate functions such as metabolism, mental health, growth and development. Proper digestion and absorption in the stomach and small intestines are also essential for a healthy mineral balance, including the iodine used to make thyroid hormones.
The Immune System
The digestive system supports the immune system by creating physical barriers that prevent food-borne pathogens from making us sick. Without these barriers, contaminants in food would pass easily into our gastrointestinal tract or bloodstream. Here are some examples of this digestive support in action:
In the stomach, hydrochloric acid (HCl) and pepsin (an enzyme) kill many food-borne pathogens so they can’t move further into the GI tract. It is necessary to consume, digest and absorb the nutrients needed to make HCl.
Pathogens that successfully survive the stomach pass into the intestines where they encounter tissues in the intestinal lining that contain 70-80% of all immune cells. Consuming, digesting, and absorbing the vitamins and minerals that keep these tissues healthy plays a major role in immune health.
Proper protein digestion – requiring action in the stomach, pancreas, and small intestines – is essential for preventing the onset of food sensitivities and intolerances.
In the intestines, a healthy, balanced microbiome --- a beneficial collection of bacteria, fungi, and viruses -- supports the immune system by “build[ing] and maintain[ing] the gut wall, which protects the body from outside invaders. . . beneficial bacteria in the gut [also] block harmful microbes from setting up camp and produce anti-microbial chemicals that defend” the body from pathogens. (Carpenter, 2012).
The gut microbiome has been shown to interact directly with both the innate and adaptive immune systems. The microbiome is “essential for the development and function of the mucosal immune system, especially during early life, a process important to overall immunity in adults.” (Purchiaroni et al., 2013).
The Cardiovascular System
The cardiovascular system consists of our blood, blood vessels, and heart. The following examples illustrate the essential supporting role of digestion for the health of this system:
The heart relies on amino acids from proteins. Digestive processes in the stomach, pancreas, and small intestine free amino acids from digested proteins, thereby making them available to the heart.
Proper liver and gallbladder function support the cardiovascular system by digesting healthy fats -- such as those found in fatty fish -- which are a source of energy for the heart. Properly digested fats are essential to forming healthy cell membranes in heart tissue and coronary arteries. Appropriately balanced (and digested) fatty acids are also critical for managing inflammation, which is now considered a major factor leading to hypertension.
A healthy microbiome in the digestive organs has been linked to healthy blood pressure.
The Detoxification System
The body's innate detoxification process cleans the body internally so organs can function well. Detox relies on multiple body systems – cardiovascular, digestive, lymph, urinary, respiratory, and skin. Digestive support for these systems in the detox process occurs in many ways:
The mouth and stomach scan foods for foreign substances to keep them out of the body altogether or destroy them before they travel further into the GI tract.
Proper digestion frees specific amino acids from the protein in food which the liver uses to accomplish its detoxification tasks.
The digestive system provides elimination pathways through the colon and urinary tract to clear toxins and waste products out of the body through feces and urine. Having regular bowel movements (at least once a day) prevents these detox pathways from becoming blocked.
Lymph fluid flows through the lymph nodes to pre-filter bacteria, viruses and other invaders out of the blood before it goes through additional filtering in the liver. Good fat digestion keeps the lymph system and liver from getting clogged.
Healthy digestion keeps bile flowing from the gallbladder to the small intestines to the large intestines and out of the body. This critical function removes waste products from the body, including toxins resulting from detoxification in the liver, excess cholesterol, and remnants of old red blood cells.
The Nervous System
A bit of background information will be helpful here . . .
Within the walls of the digestive system, lies the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS is made up of 100 million+ nerve cells that control digestion and communicate back and forth with the brain and central nervous system (CNS). Often referred to as the “gut-brain axis,” this communication links digestion to cognition, mood and overall health.
The gut-brain axis is illustrated by the fact that, “[a] troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. . . [A] person's stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression.” (Harvard Medical School, 2021).
An ever-increasing body of evidence suggests that the gut microbiota can affect brain function, behavior, and health -- including emotional behavior and the development of mental illnesses -- because of the two-way communication between the brain and the gut microbiota.
The following are several ways in which the digestive system interacts with and supports the nervous system:
Eating a properly prepared, whole foods diet that is digested by a well-functioning digestive system will support a healthy gut microbiome. Research indicates that a healthy gut microbiome “may provide critical benefits for preventing and treating brain-related disorders.” (Mohajeri, Fata, Steinert & Weber, 2018).
The gut microbiota “interacts with [the] CNS by regulating brain chemistry and influencing neuro-endocrine systems associated with stress response, anxiety, and memory function.”(Carabotti, M., Scirocco, A., Maselli, M. A., & Severi, C., 2015). Research suggests that these issues may be positively influenced when the gut microbiota are supported with probiotic foods and/or supplements.
Dysbiosis (an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the gut) has also been shown to “alter brain function and trigger the development of psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s disease.” (Mohajeri, Fata, Steinert & Weber, 2018).
The presence of specific gut microbes in the colon causes cells to produce 95% of the body’s serotonin. Serotonin affects the GI tract as well as mood. Prior to producing serotonin, the digestive system also supports the nervous system by digesting foods that contain tryptophan, which is needed to produce serotonin.
Conclusion
Digestive distress may be the norm in your day-to-day life, but it doesn’t need to be. The effects of digestion extend far beyond any one meal. Finding the root causes of your digestive symptoms will pay dividends for your health across many body systems and may well prevent the development of more serious health problems down the road.
There are many natural ways to resolve digestive problems. Feel free to contact me for a free consultation to discuss how nutritional therapy can help.
References
Carabotti, M., Scirocco, A., Maselli, M. A., & Severi, C. (2015). The Gut-Brain Axis: Interactions Between Enteric Microbiota, Central and Enteric Nervous Systems. Annals of Gastroenterology, 28(2), 203–209. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25830558/
Carpenter, S. (2012). That Gut Feeling. Monitor on Psychology, 43(8), 50. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling
Harvard Medical School (2021). The Gut-Brain Connection. www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-gut-brain-connection
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). The Brain-Gut Connection. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-brain-gut- connection
Kumar, K. (2021). What Is the Function of Bile? https://www.medicinenet.com/what_is_the_function_of_bile/article.htm
Li, J., Zhao, F., Wang, Y., Chen, J., Tao, J., Tian, G., . . . Cai, J. (2017). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis Contributes to the Development of Hypertension. Microbiome. 5(1),14. https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-016-0222-x
Mohajeri, M. H., La Fata, G., Steinert, R. E., & Weber, P. (2018). Relationship Between the Gut Microbiome and Brain Function, Nutrition Reviews, 76(7) 481- 496. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuy009. https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/76/7/481/4985887
National Institutes of Health. (2022). Iodine Fact Sheet. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-HealthProfessional/
Nutritional Therapy Association. (2020a). Endocrine Introduction Student Lecture [Video Lecture]. https://nutritionaltherapy.instructure.com/courses/211/pages/endo-%7C-core-videos? module_item_id=13493
Nutritional Therapy Association. (2020b). Cardiovascular Function Lecture Slides [PDF document], 11. https://nutritionaltherapy.instructure.com/courses/211/pages/ch-%7C-core-videos? module_item_id=13509
Nutritional Therapy Association. (2020c). Detoxification Student Lecture [Video Lecture]. https://nutritionaltherapy.instructure.com/courses/211/pages/det-%7C-core-videos? module_item_id=13516
Nutritional Therapy Association. (2020d). Digestion Function Lecture Slides [PDF document], 15. https://nutritionaltherapy.instructure.com/courses/211/pages/dig-%7C-core-videos? module_item_id=13436
Nutritional Therapy Association. (2022). Immune Student Guide [PDF document], 9. https://nutritionaltherapy.instructure.com/courses/211/pages/imm-%7C-core-reading?module_item_id=13500
Purchiaroni, F., Tortora, A., Gabrielli, M., Bertucci, F., Gigante, G., Ianiro, G., . . . Gasbarrini, A. (2013). The Role of Intestinal Microbiota and the Immune System. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences; 17(3), 323-33. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/1333
