Do you regularly suffer from digestive problems such as a bloated belly after meals, flatulence, heartburn or cramps? Then it could just be that your digestion is not working optimally.. Digestive problems can range from mild discomfort to serious conditions, but fortunately there are ways to address them and promote better digestive health.

What is the function of your digestion?

The function of your digestion is to break down food into usable nutrients for the body. The non-usable nutrients leave your body again through the feces. When this process stagnates, your body can no longer absorb important nutrients properly, resulting in a nutrient deficiency. Gastrointestinal problems can also occur.

What are digestive problems?

Digestive problems refer to any discomfort, pain or disorder that occurs during the process in which our body breaks down food and absorbs its nutrients. These problems can manifest as stomach pain, cramps, bloating, constipation, diarrhea or even more serious conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (PDS) or Crohn's disease.

What are the causes of digestive problems?

Digestive problems can be caused by a variety of factors, including:

1. Unhealthy food

Meals rich in processed foods, unhealthy fats, sugars and little fiber can slow down digestion and cause problems.

2. Stress

Prolonged stress can disrupt digestion because it can upset the balance of bacteria in the intestines. Stress causes the sympathetic nervous system to be constantly on, and in order to digest food properly, it is important to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. 

3. Insufficient hydration

Water is essential for healthy digestion. Insufficient hydration can lead to constipation and slow digestion.

4. Unbalanced gut flora

A healthy gut flora is crucial for proper digestion. Antibiotic use, unhealthy diet and other factors can disrupt this balance.

5. Physical inactivity

Lack of exercise can slow digestion and cause constipation.

How can you fix a digestive problem?

Fortunately, there are several ways to relieve digestive problems and promote healthy digestion! We discuss them below.

1. Healthy diet

Provide varied meals and choose foods rich in fiber, fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and proteins and healthy fats. 

2. Sufficient hydration

Be sure to drink plenty of water and/or herbal teas throughout the day to support your digestion. Go for at least 8 glasses a day, outside of meals. Drink 2 to 3 glasses in a row instead of small sips spread throughout the day.

3. Exercise

Regular exercise can stimulate digestion and help prevent constipation. Take a daily walk, get on a bike or start your day with fine stretching exercises. It is important to become aware of how much time you spend sitting. Heavy exercise is not at all necessary for good digestion, just focus on creating more sitting breaks. 

4. Stress Management

Teach yourself techniques for reducing stress. You can think about meditation, yoga or breathing exercises, but scheduling adequate weekly rest and relaxation moments or saying no more often can also help.

5. Supplements

Consider using high-quality orthomolecular supplements specifically designed to support healthy digestion and gut flora. Supplements containing pre- and probiotics can help restore healthy intestinal flora, and enzymes are key to proper digestion.

Read more about the importance of prebiotics and probiotics here.

What are enzymes?

For proper digestion, you need enzymes. An enzyme is made up of proteins and acts like scissors. Among other things, it cuts macronutrients (such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates) in the digestive tract into smaller pieces, making it easier for them to be absorbed from the food from the small intestine into the bloodstream.  

Types of enzymes  

You have a number of types of enzymes. For example, there are enzymes for metabolism, for digestion and food enzymes. Enzymes for digestion break down food into nutrients that can be absorbed and used by cells. These enzymes are formed mainly in the pancreas and intestinal gland.

The stomach gland and salivary gland also produce enzymes. Enzymes such as proteases, amylases and lipases work by breaking down proteins into amino acids, carbohydrates into sugars, and fats into fatty acids, respectively. 

Enzymes deficiency

Nutritional enzymes are found particularly in raw foods such as fruits and vegetables and are very important. In fact, the natural formation of enzymes in the body declines between the ages of ²⁰ and ³⁰ and continues to decline by about 13% every ten years thereafter.

In addition, as we age, our stomach also forms less hydrochloric acid, making the enzymes for digestion less effective. Things like mild inflammation from food allergies, medication, chronic heavy metal load, pancreatic problems and chronic stress can also lead to enzyme deficiencies.  

People with long-term and persistent digestive problems may benefit from the use of specific digestive enzymes. For greater biological activity, enzymes from different sources are preferably combined. We discuss 4 digestive enzymes below.

Amylase 

Amylase is an enzyme that is responsible for breaking down carbohydrates into sugars. This enzyme is produced in the pancreas and salivary glands.

Protease 

Protease is the enzyme that breaks down proteins into smaller structures, the amino acids. The stomach makes pepside, a protease.

Lipase 

Lipase is the enzyme that breaks down fats into fatty acids. Before fat digestion can begin, emulsification takes place primarily (under the influence of bile acid salts from bile), which causes larger fat droplets to break up into smaller fat droplets. This increases the surface size, allowing the enzyme lipase to do its work much more effectively. 

If there is a lipase deficiency, the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K cannot be properly absorbed from the diet resulting in a possible deficiency.

Lactase 

Lactase is the enzyme that breaks down lactose (milk sugar). Until about your second year, you make enough lactase on your own. In most people, this ability disappears later. Lactase from the intestinal juice breaks down lactose into glucose and galactose.