DigestAid

Digestion can be weakened for many reasons. Our busy modern lives are a recipe for suboptimal digestion. The “fight or flight” mechanism that gets us through everyday stressful situations prevents the “rest and digest” mode from doing its job. Feeling worried, anxious, or simply eating too quickly can lead to occasional insufficient stomach acid production. In addition, the production of our own digestive enzymes naturally declines 1% every three years after age thirty. Therefore, it is understandable why so many people benefit from enzyme supplementation for optimal digestion and assimilation of nutrients from food.

Signs that you may benefit from digestive enzymes include:
• Occasional bloating and gas, particularly after eating
• Feeling full after eating only a small quantity of food
• Infrequent mild indigestion/heartburn (components of undigested food bubbles back up into the esophagus)
• Bowel irregularities such as occasional diarrhea and/or constipation

The mechanical and enzymatic breakdown of food begins in the mouth, but the stage for efficient digestion is truly set in the stomach. Stomach acid, or HCl, denatures proteins, unraveling them in order to give proteases more surface area to work upon. It also provides the proper acidity to trigger the release of bicarbonate in the duodenum, which creates the alkaline environment required for optimal efficacy of pancreatic enzymes in the small
intestine. Acute and chronic stress, as well as certain medications, may impair secretion of HCl and create a need for supplementation.

The pancreas produces enzymes that are required for digestion and absorption of food. Enzymes secreted by the pancreas include lipases, proteases, and amylases, which digest fats, proteins, and starches, respectively. Proper functioning of the digestive tract is crucial for the overall health of the body. It is very difficult to maintain optimal health when food is not digested properly and toxins are not eliminated. In addition, virtually every chronic condition may be exacerbated if the intestinal tract accumulates toxic by-products and some of these are reabsorbed into the systemic circulation. Production of digestive enzymes declines 1% every three years after age thirty, so it’s understandable why many people may benefit from supplementation.

Deficiency of endogenous production of digestive enzymes may lead to gas, bloating, constipation, malabsorption, or a feeling of fullness after eating only a small quantity of food.