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Digestive Enzymes: The Undiscovered Key to Health
You know the old saying, “You are what you eat?” Fuggedaboutit. These days, knowledgeable health professionals are much more likely to say the far more accurate, “You are what you digest… and what you absorb”.
Digestive health isn”t always the sexiest topic in anti-aging medicine, but it”s one of the most critical for your overall well-being. Here”s why: You can eat the best food in the world and take enormous care with your diet, but if you”re not breaking that food down properly, you’re not going to absorb the nutrients within it.
When you”re not properly breaking down your food, “under-digested” food goes through the digestive tract and some of the larger molecules get through into the bloodstream where they”re seen as invaders by the immune system. This can create all kinds of problems.
Adding to the problem, there can be an overgrowth of “bad” bacteria in the small intestine and colon resulting in a condition called “dysbiosis”. According to Elizabeth Lipski, PhD, CCN, author of Digestive Wellness, dysbiosis may result in conditions ranging from eczema to food sensitivities to irritable bowel to inflammatory bowel disease.
Gut Health — The Health Topic of the Coming Decade
For the last several years I have been emphasizing the importance of reducing belly fat, but just as important is getting one’s gut into shape on the inside. What I’m talking about is intestinal health.
Antibiotics and probiotics are two key players here. Antibiotics wipe out friendly flora in our intestines. This was clearly demonstrated in a study of patients taking the popular broad spectrum antibiotic Ciprofloxacin, commonly known as “Cipro”, which wiped out about 30% of the patients’ good bacteria population. After treatment, it took up to four weeks to re-establish the original level of healthy bacteria, but some strains took up to six months or longer to re-establish.1
Love Your Guts – Use Probioitics
Did you know that, according to the book “Digestive Wellness,” 70 percent of the cells that make up your immune system are located in your digestive system? That’s just one of many good reasons to take care of your GI tract. A good place to start is with probiotics.
Flush Out Your GI Tract - Naturally
Constipation may be more than simply uncomfortable. According to the National Institutes of Health, it may be a symptom of more serious health conditions, including the second-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.: colon cancer. It’s important to take constipation seriously and treat it correctly.
