Digestion Part 2

Hello Students/Friends,

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday! I don't know about you all but as much as I love the smell of my the fresh pine tree, the lights and the festivities I am sure am glad the holiday are over once again for another year. It is good to back to class and my hope is that you are all digestion this educational food.

The Anatomy and Physiology of Digestion

The digestive process begins with the senses. When we see and smell food, especially when we are hungry, our mouths begin to "water." Saliva is secreted into the mouth from salivary glands located in the cheeks and jaw. Saliva contains the first enzymes that will act upon our food.

The first step of digestion is mastication, the chewing process. The food particles must be broken down into very tiny pieces and mixed with saliva in order for the enzymes to do their job. Many digestive disturbances could be avoided with proper chewing. In our fast-paced society most people eat too fast and swallow their food without proper mastication. When chewed properly food will be in an almost liquid form when swallowed. Many digestive disturbances of modern society could be avoided with the proper chewing of our food and by eating foods in better combinations.

From the mouth, the food moves to the stomach by way of the esophagus, a muscular tube which passes through a hole in the diaphragm to enter the abdominal area. The muscles in the esophagus squeeze the food downward with a wavelike motion, a process referred to as peristalsis. Because of this muscular action, food can be swallowed in zero gravity, or even when the body is upside down.

Whereas the pH (acidity) in the mouth and esophagus is very basic (high pH), the pH in the stomach is very acidic (low pH). This low or acid pH is the result of the secretion of hydrochloric acid (HCL), and is necessary for the action of the enzymes in the stomach that are responsible for breaking down protein. The stomach is protected from this acid by a mucus lining. The stomach acid is kept out of the esophagus by the action of the cardiac valve, a sphincter muscle which opens when food passes through, but which immediately closes to prevent the contents of the stomach from backing up into the esophagus.

Another sphincter valve, the pyloric sphincter, keeps the food in the stomach until it has been properly churned and mixed. Once the enzymes that require an acid environment have had time to do their job, the pyloric sphincter opens and the food passes into the small intestines where most of the absorption of nutrients takes place.The digestion of proteins, which occurs primarily in the stomach, requires a very acid environment, provided in the stomach by HCL (hydrochloric acid.)

The first portion of the small intestine is the duodenum. Bile, produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder, is secreted into the duodenun by contractions of the gall bladder. The primary function of the bile is the emulsification of fats. Emulsification is the process whereby large globules of fat are broken down into smaller globules and made water soluble. One of the primary ingredients in the bile is cholesterol.

At the same time that bile is secreted by the gall bladder, pancreatic juices are secreted by the pancreas into the duodenum. The bile and pancreatic juices change the pH from acid back to basic. This higher pH is necessary for the action of the pancreatic enzymes, which continue the digestive process by breaking down carbohydrates and fats into tiny particles that can be absorbed in the intestines. The substance secreted by the liver and stored in the gall bladder and released into the small intestines for the emulsification of fats is bile.

From the duodenum, the food passes through the next two parts of the small intestines, the jejunum and the ileum. The process by which food moves through the intestines (peristalsis) is made possible by involuntary wavelike contractions of the smooth muscles in the intestinal wall.

The small intestines is where the majority of absorption takes place. The nutrients are absorbed into tiny lymph vessels called lacteals, and are passed to a larger vein, the portal vein, to the liver. The liver breaks down any toxins that may be present and prepares the nutrients for release into the bloodstream. The bloodstream carries the nutrients to every cell in the body, where they are used for energy and for tissue building and repair.

From the small intestines, the remaining material, which by now is mostly nondigestable fiber, water and waste, is passed through yet another sphincter valve, the ileocecal valve, to the large intestine or colon. In the colon, any remaining water and electrolytes are absorbed, and the waste material is retained until it is time for it to be evacuated from the body through the rectum and anus. The sphincter valve located between the small intestines and the large intestines (colon) is known as the ileocecal valve.

The Digestive Enzymes

Enzymes are proteins which make possible or facilitate a chemical reaction under a given environmental condition. Digestive enzymes are enzymes which help break down food substances into forms that can be absorbed and assimilated by the body.

Digestive enzymes are very important. Unfortunately, due to our Standard American Diet and medications both prescription and over- the- counter, the body's secretion of enzymes begins to gradually decline significant enough to adversely effect the digestion and assimilation of food. This is one reason why digestive disturbances are common who are dealing with syndrome/disease, and why we often have difficulty getting the nutrients we need—a contributing factor to many health problems including osteoporosis, which is caused primarily by insufficient assimilation of proteins, calcium and other minerals. We can all benefit by eat raw organic whole fruits and vegetable which have all their enzymes in tack. Trying to do this with supplementation only helps us to avoid eating a health meals.

IC patients commonly suffer from insufficient digestive enzymes as well. Tons of antacids are purchased each year by individuals who are suffering more from a deficiency of enzymes (and from improper chewing of their food) than from excess stomach acid. Most of these individuals would be much better served by eating a healthy diet and learning how to combine their foods properly.

Digestive enzymes are normally secreted 1) in the mouth (as part of the saliva), 2) by the stomach, and 3) released into the small intestines from the liver and pancreas. The major enzymes are:

• Amylase, also called ptyalin, is an enzyme that aids the breakdown of starches.
• Mycozyme is an enzyme that also digests starches.
• Lipase, secreted by the pancreas, refers to any of several enzymes that increase the breakdown of fats (lipids).
• Protease, an enzyme that helps the breakdown of protein, is also secreted by the pancreas. Enzymes that breakdown protein are known as a proteolytic enzymes.
• Pepsin is an enzyme released in the stomach that also helps with the breakdown of protein.
• Bile, also called gall, is a bitter, yellow-green secretion of the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and released during digestion when fats enter the first part of the small intestine (duodenum). Bile emulsifies fats preparing them for further digestion and absorption in the small intestine.
• Cellulase is an enzyme that breaks down cellulose, the carbohydrate that is the main part of the cell walls of plants. Cellulose is nondigestible by humans because we to not produce the enzyme cellulase. Cellulase is produced by grazing animals such as cows (with the aid of the beneficial bacteria that reside in the animal's digestive tract), and is the reason why they can get nutrition from plants such as grasses. The human body does not produce cellulase.
• Lipase is the enzyme that helps break down fats.
  

Quiz

1. True of False:

Many digestive disturbances of modern society could be avoided with the proper chewing of our food.

2. True of False:

The digestion of proteins, which occurs primarily in the stomach, requires a very acid environment, provided in the stomach by HCL (hydrochloric acid.)

3. The substance secreted by the liver and stored in the gall bladder and released into the small intestines for the emulsification of fats is:
A. Protease
B. Bile
C. Lipase
D. HCL


4. The sphincter valve located between the small intestines and the large intestines (colon) is known as the:
A. Cardiac Valve
B. Pyloric Valve
C. ileocecal Valve
D. Rectum


5. Which of the following enzymes help break down fats (lipids)?
A. Cellulase
B. Amylase
C. Protease
D. Lipase

In our next class we will discuss the importance of eating foods that digest quickly and exit the body quickly. When we begin to understand the importance of having a healthy digestive tract we understand why we need to eat a certain way and why the list food to avoid or pamphlet about foods you might want to avoid, that you were given by your Urologist isn't making a bit of difference in your pain.

Have A Great Weekend Everyone! Keep Warm And Take Care of U!

Gloria Prater, Whole Health Educator and IC Patient







Answer Key:

1. True
2. True
3. B.
4. C.
5. D.