DIGESTIVE HEALTH FACTS at TreeHuggersOnline.com

Take Care of Your Digestive Tract

If frequent problems with digestion are ruining your life on a day to day basis, changes to your habits may be in order. In other words, your lifestyle may be getting the best of you. In fact, what you eat, how much you exercise, and your stress levels can have a huge impact on the efficiency of your digestive tract. Selecting good, healthy foods and exercising regularly makes it much easier for your body to remain in balance and encourages optimum digestive health.

Digestion and Your Age

Aging affects the entire body and that includes your digestive system. The muscles of the GI tract may become less efficient, and you may be taking longer to digest your food. Drugs that treat other conditions can also lead to a reduced digestive function. But if you take care of your health overall, your digestive health can be spared from the ravages of age.

Probiotic Bacteria: The Health Booster

Probiotic or good bacteria help protect you against harmful organisms that can ruin your health. Some of the things they can protect against are cramps, excess gas and diarrhea (which can happen when using antiobotics that kill friendly bacteria. You can get probiotics from natural foods sources with live cultures such as yogurt and some dairy products but most often the highest concentrations are in supplements.

About Colon Cleansing

Though the practice of colon cleansing is quite common throughout history, it is just as popular in today’s society. But is it really necessary? Though many claim anti-parasitic and toxin removing benefits, there is no support for this in science and, you can actually cause some serious problems if you perform a cleanse incorrectly. Using probiotics and paying attention to diet and exercise are often considered much better ways to promote digestive health.

A large body of science exists to support the importance of digestive health. Listed here are a few referenced digestive health facts:

• High concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) are considered a marker for inflammatory disease based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000, fiber intake is associated with lower serum CRP concentration thereby supporting the recommendation of a diet with a high fiber content.
  Ajani, U. A., E. S. Ford, et al. (2004). “Dietary fiber and C-reactive protein: findings from national health and nutrition examination survey data.” J Nutr 134(5): 1181-5.
• A modest fiber intake in patients with irritable bowel syndrome relieved symptoms, but this therapeutic benefit of fiber may have been due to a placebo effect because the results were similar in the low-fiber group.
  Aller, R., D. A. de Luis, et al. (2004). “Effects of a high-fiber diet on symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized clinical trial.” Nutrition 20(9): 735-7.
• The biological mechanisms of action of probiotics and prebiotics include direct effects in the intestinal lumen or on intestinal or immune cells, and indirect mechanisms through modulation of the endogenous microflora (composition or functions such as butyrate production) or of the immune system.
  Marteau, P., P. Seksik, et al. (2004). “Cellular and physiological effects of probiotics and prebiotics.” Mini Rev Med Chem 4(8): 889-96.
• A high-fiber, low-fat diet intervention is associated with reduced serum bioavailable estradiol concentration in women diagnosed with breast cancer, in whom the majority did not exhibit weight loss.
  Rock, C. L., S. W. Flatt, et al. (2004). “Effects of a high-fiber, low-fat diet intervention on serum concentrations of reproductive steroid hormones in women with a history of breast cancer.” J Clin Oncol 22(12): 2379-87.
• This article describes the use of the ORAC assay to determine total antioxidant capacity and lists the top fruits and vegetables by ORAC score.
  Wu X, Beecher GR, Holden JM, Haytowitz DB, Gebhardt SE, Prior RL. (2004). “Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States.” J Agric Food Chem 52(12):4026-37.
• Morbidly obese patients experience more intense GI symptoms than control subjects and many of these symptoms return to control levels six months after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGBP).
  Clements, R. H., Q. H. Gonzalez, et al. (2003). “Gastrointestinal symptoms are more intense in morbidly obese patients and are improved with laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.” Obes Surg 13(4): 610-4.
• Epidemiological evidence suggests that diets rich in fruit and vegetables decrease the risk of premature mortality from major clinical conditions, including cancer and heart disease. It is not yet clear which components or combination of components in fruit and vegetables are protective or what their mechanism of action is.
  Duthie, G. G., P. T. Gardner, et al. (2003). “Plant polyphenols: are they the new magic bullet?” Proc Nutr Soc 62(3): 599-603
• Fiber, particularly cereal fiber, consumption among the elderly is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
  Mozaffarian, D., S. K. Kumanyika, et al. (2003). “Cereal, fruit, and vegetable fiber intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease in elderly individuals.” JAMA 289(13): 1659-66.
• Prebiotics are non-digestible but fermentable oligosaccharides that specifically change the composition and activity of the intestinal microflora to promote the health of the host. Dietary fiber and non-digestible oligosaccharides are the main growth substrates of intestinal microflora. In spite of the interesting nutritional properties of prebiotics, it is questionable whether a wholesome diet rich in fruit and vegetables needs to be supplemented with prebiotics for optimal health effects.
  Blaut, M. (2002). “Relationship of prebiotics and food to intestinal microflora.” Eur J Nutr 41 Suppl 1: 11-6.
• Gastrointestinal and liver diseases inflict a heavy economic burden; the estimated direct costs for all digestive diseases were $85.5 billion (1998 dollars). The most prevalent diseases were non-food borne gastroenteritis (135 million cases/year), food-borne illness (76 million), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD; 19 million), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS; 15 million). The disease with the highest annual direct costs in the United States was GERD ($9.3 billion), followed by gallbladder disease ($5.8 billion), colorectal cancer ($4.8 billion), and peptic ulcer disease ($3.1 billion).
  Sandler RS, Everhart JE, et al. (2002). “The burden of selected digestive diseases in the United States.” Gastroenterology; 122(5):1500-11.
• High fruit and vegetable fiber intakes reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease and possibly colon cancer.
  Jenkins, D. J., C. W. Kendall, et al. (2001). “Effect of a very-high-fiber vegetable, fruit, and nut diet on serum lipids and colonic function.” Metabolism 50(4): 494-503.
• Subjects with type 2 diabetes who consumed a diet containing food naturally rich in fiber (e.g., 50 g fiber/day, 50% soluble) for 6 weeks had significant improvements in glycemic control and lipid levels when compared with patients who consumed a diet with moderate amounts of fiber (e.g., 25 g fiber/day, 50% soluble).
  McIntosh, M. and C. Miller (2001). “A diet containing food rich in soluble and insoluble fiber improves glycemic control and reduces hyperlipidemia among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.” Nutr Rev 59(2): 52-5.
• Lack of fiber may play an important role in the etiology of chronic idiopathic constipation in children.
  Roma, E., D. Adamidis, et al. (1999). “Diet and chronic constipation in children: the role of fiber.” J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 28(2): 169-74.
• There is no recognized definition of what constitutes a high fiber diet. Intakes of dietary fiber in different populations internationally vary widely from less than 20 g to more than 80 g per day. The types of foods contributing fiber also vary; in some countries cereals contribute the most fiber, in others leafy or root vegetables predominate. Vegetables have the highest fiber content per Kcal, and in most populations with fiber intakes over 50 g, vegetables contribute over 50% of total fiber intake.
  Wolever, T. M. and D. J. Jenkins (1997). “What is a high fiber diet?” Adv Exp Med Biol 427: 35-42.

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