Poor digestion is something that many people deal with on a daily basis and symptoms of it may include:
• stomach cramps
• gas
• constipation
• heartburn
• bloating
• diarrhea
• low energy levels
There could be many causes of poor digestion, but more often than not, it comes about simply as a result of the poor dietary choices that a person makes.
Diet Does It
For starters, the Standard American Diet, or S.A.D., includes many different types of processed foods that are low in nutritional value. Processed foods are foods that are sold in boxes, cans and bags and usually contain an ingredient list.
This ingredient list typically looks like a large paragraph with many long and strange words written on the side of the container and is why I refer to processed foods as P.I.F.’s which stands for paragraph ingredient foods. (Opposed to whole, single ingredient, foods, or S.I.F.’s)
Pif’s do not occur in nature the way these foods are sold to you and I, and require extensive processing (think human interference) to prepare. They usually contain additives, preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners and other chemicals that can irritate and inflame your sensitive digestive tract.
Dysbiosis
So when a person’s diet is poor as a result of eating too many processed foods, carbohydrates, fast foods, grains and sweetened soft drinks, a condition known as dysbiosis is likely to occur.
Dysbiosis is a condition within the intestines where an overabundance of bad bacteria develops and crowds out the beneficial good bacteria, and it can persist indefinitely if not taken care of causing many health problems.
The Value of Beneficial Bacteria
This is why, as humans, we have approximately 4 pounds of this beneficial bacteria in our digestive tracts because it is needed for several reasons:
• Helps with the digestion of certain foods that the stomach and small intestine have not been able to digest
• Helps with the production of some vitamins, like B and K
• Regulates cholesterol levels
• Improves your energy
• Improves mental focus and concentration
• Reduces risk for obesity
• Reduces risk for Type 2 diabetes
Healthy bacteria also makes up a good portion of the most superficial (and nutrient dense) mucosal layer in the intestine creating an important immune barrier between the digesting food and underlying vascular tissue.
Regulates Hormone Levels Needed for Healthy Digestion
But perhaps the one good benefit we are most concerned about here is that healthy gut bacteria is needed to convert certain inactive hormones in our intestines into healthy active ones that further aid in the digestion process.
But unfortunately, dysbiosis has a profoundly negative effect on the conversion of these hormones needed for proper digestion.
Hypochlorhydria
One such negative effect of too much bad bacteria is that it can lead to a condition known as hypochlorhydria. Hypochlorhydria is a condition in which the stomach produces too little stomach acid, or HCL
This may sound like a good thing if you happen to be one of those people suffering with acid reflux however, low stomach acid is oftentimes the cause of it.
This is because if your food isn’t digested properly by the HCL in the stomach, it can putrefy, ferment and become rancid. The small intestine will then try and refuse entry of this rotting mess and so it backs up into the esophagus, irritating the delicate tissue and causing heartburn.
A Sluggish Gallbladder
Also, because the food is not sufficiently acidic, although it’s certainly acidic enough to burn you, it won’t adequately stimulate the gall bladder to secrete bile to break down fats. Symptoms of a sluggish gallbladder include:
• nausea
• vomiting
• bloated feeling
• indigestion
• intolerance to fatty foods
• abdominal bloating
• abdominal pain
• gallstones
• burping after eating
Pancreatic Enzyme Insufficiency
Low levels of hydrochloric acid resulting from dysbiosis will also not stimulate the pancreas adequately enough to release the following enzymes necessary for digestion:
• Lipase: needed for fat digestion
• Protease: protein digestion
• Amylase: carbohydrate digestion
Symptoms of pancreatic enzyme insufficiency include:
• indigestion
• stomach cramps
• excessive gas
• foul smelling stools
• greasy stools
• orange looking stools
• frequent soft or loose bowel movements
• loss of electrolytes
Naturally, the lack of a properly stimulated gallbladder and pancreas will lead to food that is poorly digested. As it moves through the intestines it will initially evoke an inflammatory response and cause infection.
Intestinal Permeability, or, Leaky Gut
Ultimately the delicate mucosal layer (immune barrier) of the intestinal tract will become porous leading to intestinal permeability, or, a leaky gut.
Just like unstable blood sugar and dysglycemia, dysbiosis and its effects on the intestinal track is something each and every one of us must protect against.
Auto Immune Conditions
A leaky gut can allow harmful foods, undigested proteins and bacteria into our blood stream and create an ongoing immune response. This will eventually deplete our bodies of much needed energy and possibly trigger an auto immune condition.
If this should occur, the ongoing immune response will require support from the adrenal glands to help maintain. The adrenal glands will respond by producing more cortisol, a stress hormone, to handle this request.
Unfortunately, too much cortisol will further damage the intestinal wall creating a vicious cycle of intestinal permeability and will be discussed next.