Digestive problems are perhaps the most common health concern in North America today, particularly as we continue to eat high-fat content, highly processed foods. With our frequent trips to the restaurant drive-through window, not to mention our participation in the latest fad diet craze, it’s no wonder our digestive systems are a mess!

Many digestive problems can be prevented through a healthy lifestyle. Getting the proper amounts of fiber, fruits and vegetables, and not eating on the run, may be a healthful start. At times, we may also see the need to supplement with beneficial bacteria and helpful enzymes that our digestive systems need to function efficiently.

Are you deficient in digestive enzymes?

If you have frequent bloated stomach, belching, burping, gas, fatigue, weight issues, headaches, constipation, to mention but a few—then you may have a digestive concern that should warrant your attention.

Enzymes are the sparks that cause or speed up the essential chemical reactions that the body needs to live. Digestive enzymes are particularly important since they allow the foods we eat to digest more completely so that we can use the food’s energy more efficiently.

Leaky gut’

As we age, the body produces fewer enzymes. Daily living also depletes the body’s source of enzymes by placing tremendous demand on body systems through stress, strenuous exercise, illness, extreme weather conditions, and the loss of perspiration, urine and feces. Pasteurization, microwaving, hybridization (or genetically modifying foods), and excess intake of hydrogenated fats can cause further depletion of digestive enzymes.

When foods are not well digested, they remain in the stomach where they rot and putrefy. This results in buildup of waste in the colon. As fecal matter begins to decay, bacteria produce toxins. The toxins eventually seep through the bowel wall, where blood capillaries pick them up and distribute them throughout the body, causing havoc on the body systems. This process is sometimes known as ‘leaky gut’ syndrome.

Of all foods, protein may be the major contributor to intestinal toxemia (‘leaky gut’ syndrome). Proteins are building blocks of the body and are necessary to transport vitamins and minerals to the bloodstream. However, protein is also the most difficult dietary constituent to digest.

“Contrary to the information on fad diets currently promoted by some popular books, a diet that is high in protein can actually contribute to disease and other health problems,” according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.1

High protein diets may weaken the pancreas, which in turn, may fail to provide the necessary enzymes to digest the protein in the first place. Certainly, a vicious cycle that can lead to immune deficiency and leave a person vulnerable to chronic infections or disease.

How important is beneficial bacteria?

There are upwards of one hundred trillion bacteria in the digestive system. A healthy balance of intestinal flora (bacteria) is considered integral to good health. The so-called ‘friendly’ bacteria counteract unfriendly bacteria in the digestive process by:

• aiding in the digestion of food
• cleaning the intestinal tract
• purifying the colon
• promoting regular bowel movements
• establishes a healthy balance of good bacteria in the intestinal tract:
• balances the intestinal pH
• promotes the destruction of molds, viruses and parasites
• protects us from environmental toxins
• increases the number of immune system cells
• helps to manufacture vitamins and essential fatty acids
• assists in maintaining healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• breaks down and rebuilds hormones.

With so many benefits, it’s easy to see that when the ratio of good to bad bacteria in the intestines has become skewed, a host of health problems may result.

Multi-strain probiotic products are more likely to show health benefits than those formulas with only one strain of friendly bacteria. Generally, it is recognized that minimal concentrations should not be less than 1 billion viable cells per dose

Dr. Michael Murray, N.D., states, “The intestinal flora is intimately involved in the host’s nutritional status and affects the immune system function, cholesterol, metabolism, carcinogenesis, and aging.”2 Our overall health is greatly influenced by the balance of friendly and unfriendly bacteria in our digestive system”