Naperville Integrated Wellness

NAPERVILLE'S TOP RATED LOCAL® FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE FACILITY

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Dr. Clinton Sexton  

Part #2 Nutrition

(PART B)

Welcome to Part 2 of the Women’s Digestion Solutions health series. This is Part 2 of the 5-part series and I will discuss the importance of nutrition for digestive health.

Key Nutrients for Optimal Digestion

There are numerous nutrients required for optimal digestive health. In Part 1 of the Nutrient section of this series I discussed what a nutrient is and why they are essential for optimal health. Below I have listed some of the most frequently recommended nutrients and their purpose in digestion.

Zinc (stomach acid)

This nutrient is required to make sufficient levels of stomach acid. Contrary to what you have been told, very few people actually make too much stomach acid. Yes, we have all been told that heartburn and acid-reflux are caused by too much stomach acid. This is rarely the cause. Antacids reduce stomach acid, this is true, and you may experience relief when you take them. In most cases, this is because you still have reflux, but since the stomach contents are less acidic, you don’t notice it as much. Reflux (food coming up) and too much acid are two different problems. In fact, you are more like to have reflux if you don’t have enough stomach acid. How does this occur? If you are not producing enough stomach acid, food stays in your stomach longer than it should; this leads to increased formation of gases in the stomach. When the pressure of these gases builds, the food contents are not ready to be released down into the small intestine; so the contents only have one direction to go…up into your esophagus / mouth.

Taking antacids can also reduce your ability to absorb nutrients like calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron. They also make you more susceptible to a condition called SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). This occurs when too many bacteria are living in the small intestines. Most of the bacteria in your intestines should be in the large intestine (colon) and not your small intestine.

In addition to zinc, B vitamins (especially B1/ thiamine) are required to make stomach acid.

Glutamine (energy / healing)

Glutamine is an amino acid (a building block of proteins) and is very important for your digestive tract. One of most important functions of glutamine is that it is a very important fuel source for the cells that line your digestive tract. If these do not have enough energy, they cannot function properly. These cells are responsible for the absorption of your food / nutrients. Glutamine is often used to help heal the gut.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is very important for digestive health and it must be supplied by food or supplement because the human body cannot make its own vitamin C. It serves many functions including gut healing / repair, improves absorption of nutrients like iron and helps prevent constipation. Increased stress can lead to vitamin C depletion.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is produced by your body, but many women do not produce enough. Your body needs vitamin D so it can absorb calcium. Vitamin D is also very important for immune health. Low levels of vitamin D can make susceptible to infection or other problems with the immune system. Optimal levels of vitamin D can reduce your risk of colon cancer.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A supports many functions and tissues of your body. With regard to digestive health, it helps the immune system to function properly. Most of your entire immune system is located within and around your digestive tract. A healthy digestive tract acts as a barrier against the outside world and the food we eat; only permitting “good” substances to reach the blood stream and the rest of the body. Vitamin A is essential for health of the  digestive tract.

Other Nutrients

Listed above are some of the most important nutrients required for optimal digestive health. While there are certainly other nutrients that are beneficial to the digestive tract, those discussed above will provide an excellent nutrition foundation.

Nutrient Testing

Nutrient testing can be very helpful when determining not only which nutrients you are deficient in, but also how much you need to supplement with. I often run blood and urine tests on my patients so that a more precise nutrient treatment plan can be created. If you would like more information about nutrient testing, go to napervilleintegratedwellness.com

You would be surprised how many women have significant nutrient deficiencies even when they are taking dietary supplements.

If you think nutrient deficiencies are contributing to your digestion problems and you are not sure what to do, contact my office to set up a consultation.

In Part #3 we will be covering Digestion the role of Hormones in women’s digestive health.

I hope you have found the information in Part 2 of the Women’s Digestion Solutions helpful!

Health and Happiness,

Dr. Sexton

                    If you are looking for a functional medicine doctor in St. Charles, Naperville or Geneva, please contact us today!

If you would like more information about women’s digestion, functional medicine or Dr. Sexton go to www.napervilleintegratedwelness.com

Do your own research, inform yourself and ask lots of questions. When collecting information you MUST consider the source. There is no shortage of false, misleading, outdated, profit-driven and utterly biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources and organizations.

This approach to healthcare is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any disease. Why is this? The FDA enforces its position that these words can only be used with drugs. This approach does not use drugs.

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