One of the most common issues I deal with in patients who come to the Center for care is their digestive health. Digestion is something we often take for granted. We put things in one end and they come out the other. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. You see, the digestive system is very complex and integrated, one that functions like an orchestra in which every piece works in harmony with the others. Allow one of those components to become out of “tune” with the others, and the entire symphony may still go on, but it will not be performed well.
In truth, the system processes food through a series of integrated steps in order to provide all of the ESSENTIAL substances for us to maintain both our daily energy needs and our overall health and wellness. Poor nutrition caused by poor digestion leads to disease and sickness and ultimately a shorter and poorer quality life span.
So, let's look as some of the perhaps little known or poorly publicized facts about digestive health:
- In 2016, the greatest cause of death above all others was the result of our dietary risks. Yes, our diet is the leading risk factor for mortality in the United States. Current statistics indicate that there are 800,000 deaths due to dietary risks, and comparatively there are 500,000 deaths due to smoking. Here is an eye opener for you: 57.3% of 2-year-old children will be obese as adults based on not only their dietary intake but the affect that it has on the digestive process.
I will tell you that the number one cause for most of these statistics is none other than the big “S” word: Sugar. Before 2001, more meals were eaten at home, and by 2010 more meals were eaten out, and most of these were not as nutritious or healthy as home-cooked ones. - There is a 5% risk reduction in all-cause mortality for every single serving of vegetables and fruits that you consume. This risk reduction is valid up to a threshold of 5 servings. Sadly, adults generally consume approximately half of the fruits and two thirds of the vegetables that we should be consuming per day. When we consider all age groups, we find that the daily consumption of vegetables and fruits is up to 90-100% below what it should be.
- As a result of poor consumption or poor digestion, we are not receiving enough specific, daily nutrients. The first is vitamin D. In fact, 95% of the population in the United States is vitamin D deficient. This is followed by vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A, and C.
Is it the Intake or the Process?
Let’s say you ARE consuming these nutrients yet you find you are still having issues that might be related to deficiencies in some of these substances. Then we need to look at the bioavailability of these nutrients, meaning how they are digested and absorbed into the digestive system for use.
There are ways to improve the bioavailability of the macro and micro nutrients that we consume. One is by regenerating intestinal flora. These are the good bacteria that reside in the intestinal tract. They not only aid in our digestion, they also assist as arguably our first line of defense against invading pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
Yes, these bacteria are good guys, who unfortunately are decimated every time someone takes a broad spectrum antibiotic. This is also why you may develop a loose stool or diarrhea after doing so. This is also a significant part of the reason that I recommend my patients take supplemental probiotic support in the form of our Innate Choice Probiotic Sufficiency supplement.
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Of course, there are other reasons for the poor micro nutrient content of our foods today. There is the unfortunate decline in many minerals in our soils due to the overuse of nitrogen-based fertilizers. This has led to a significant deficiency in our food of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, sodium, potassium, iodine, zinc, and phosphorus. For example, there has been almost a 20% reduction in magnesium in our soils since 1968. There has also been a similar trend with iron, iodine, zinc, and vitamin A.
Digestion-Related Conditions
Now let’s take a look at some of the disease and sicknesses that plague our society. An amazing 60-70 million Americans have digestive concerns each year.
- As of the year 2000, there were 63 million who suffered from chronic constipation.
- 20 million Americans suffer from gall stones; the gall bladder and bile production are an important part of the digestive process.
- 10.4 million people suffer from hemorrhoids.
- Chron’s disease affects 780,000 Americans.
- GERD or gastro-esophageal reflux affects 25% of our population. Further, the common medical treatment for this condition is in a class of drugs that was placed on the market to be used for a relatively short duration of time and then withdrawn. The “proton pump inhibiting drugs” in this class suppress the production of stomach acid. Stomach acid is another important component of the symphony of digestive health. So, suppressing the production of stomach acid long term doesn’t aid in the digestive process. In fact, it can inhibit proper digestion and suppress the absorption of specific micronutrients such as calcium.
Treatments?
So, what can we do about this sad dilemma that we find ourselves in regarding digestive health and the resultant nutrient deficiencies? First of all, we must improve the integrity of our digestive system and, by doing so, our digestion and absorption of our nutrients. Sometimes this can be accomplished by supporting digestion with some digestive enzymes or stomach acid production support. I say this simply because, as we age, our stomach acid production can wane, and we may need a little help supplementally. There could be some bile production issues that are also hampering digestion. Simply supporting your digestive process with some supplemental, high-quality probiotics or prebiotics to feed your intestinal flora might be enough.
And perhaps, simply eating one or two more servings of vegetables and fruit may be enough to improve your dietary intake.
However, as I have outlined, digestion and digestive health is a very complex and complicated issue, one that involves the synchronous activity of multiple components working in harmony with one another. Thus, if you have been having digestive issues for a long time and have just not been able to gain long-term relief though your own efforts or those of another healthcare form, please contact the Center for Nutrition and Wellness for a consultation. Our consultation is always complementary.
Meanwhile, if you have any reason to suspect that your digestive system is "out of tune," I trust that you will take heed to these unfortunate statistics and make some changes to regain harmony today in order to prevent disease tomorrow.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Pfeiffer