Many of us tend to think of digestion as a process that is related to stomach acids. That’s not without reason - people with gastritis, for instance, are commonly prescribed antacid medications. An antacid, as its name suggests, is a type of “anti-acid” that is meant to neutralise the acidity in one’s stomach, which will otherwise cause an “inflammation, irritation, or erosion of the lining of the stomach”.
Yes, stomach acids are but ONE factor. The carbonic anhydrase enzymes in the parietal cells in our stomachs are responsible for producing the hydrochloric acid to make the stomach environment acidic.
However, we also do require different types of enzymes to digest the various types of foods that we eat. They include amylase enzymes for the digestion of carbohydrates, lipase enzymes for the digestion of fats and protease enzymes for the digestion of proteins.
The acidic environment in our stomach is home to a protease enzyme known as pepsin. Pepsin is active in highly acidic environments, whereas most other enzymes would be deactivated in that kind of acidity - which is why other enzymes support digestion in other areas of the digestive system, such as in the mouth or in the small intestine.
Heck, there is even a specific type of digestive enzyme to digest lactose. People who are lactose intolerant don’t have enough of that digestive enzyme in their small intestines to process all the lactose that they’re ingesting, and that’s why some people tend to feel really queasy after drinking milk:
Lactose Intolerance And What It Indicates About Our Digestive Systems
We tend to think of our digestive system at a very simple level. We eat food, our stomach acids break it down, our intestines absorb it, and whatever that isn’t absorbed is excreted into the toilet bowl.
As lactose digestion takes place chiefly in the small intestine, an insufficient production of lactase enzymes in the small intestine can give rise to discomfort, gas and bloating within the small intestines, leading to excessive gas release or even the urge to do an explosive toilet run.
We see digestive issues mainly as the body being unable to cope with what we’re feeding it. But can we look at the problem, instead, as the body producing insufficient enzymes to deal with the food load that we’re pushing in?
Because it is a shame to have to pass on certain types of foods just because we’re genetically ill-equipped to deal with them. I mean, I do have Asian flush myself, and that’s because my liver isn’t producing sufficient acetaldehyde dehydrogenase enzymes for processing high alcohol loads.
How The Metabolism Of Alcohol Causes More Harm Than Good
We love to unwind on weekends with a nice cocktail at a bar somewhere. There’s always some reason to be drinking, whether it be because we want to celebrate, or if we want to drown our sorrows, or if we want to relax.
And in many parts of the world, many older adults are simply not consuming sufficient protein to maintain muscle mass, which can lead to issues with muscular atrophy. Combine that with brittle bones as the dynamic equilibrium between bone formation and bone mineral resorption gets shifted in favour of resorption, and we can see how aged seniors can trip and fall very easily (with reduced muscle mass controlling body movement), and that fall can trigger nasty hip fractures:
How Osteoporosis Isn’t Just About A Calcium Deficiency
The adult human body’s skeleton comprises 206 bones. They support our frame and our structure. We need them to stand up and walk. We need them to move about.
Which can be further linked back to aging.
Aging does reduce pepsin output, and hence older adults may tend to want to avoid meat because their digestive systems may not be able to cope with a steak.
But a reduction in protein consumption together with a reduction in bone mineral density will leave them prone to more deleterious injuries such as hip fractures.
It’s not a pretty sight to behold, but at the same time, we do have to understand that the digestive system does play an important role in supporting our health beyond just digesting our food. There are much bigger implications if we aren’t taking in what we need in the right amounts, especially if we choose to replace them with poor substitutes.
Because if we are consuming foods that are more easily digestible instead of the foods that have the necessary nutrients for our body to function, what is going to happen to those bodily functions that end up being chronically deprived of those necessary nutrients?
The future would look pretty uncertain and grim, wouldn’t it? Not to mention that we’d end up looking worse for wear too.
The Biochemistry Behind The Aging Process
Aging is unfortunately an inevitable problem that all of us humans will face. Multiple aspects of our lives can be affected as we age.
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What Nutrients Support Digestion And Detox In Our Body?
The digestion of any food or other substances that we ingest, as well the subsequent elimination of these products from our digestive system undergoes a relatively complex mechanism.