# Digestion and How to improve your appetite



## SD (Sep 3, 2004)

Posted this due to a number of posts regarding bloating and poor digestion, sorry its a long one! This article is part cut & paste from here, part edit by me, with additional info added by me (in red) and what to do section. Basically if you understand how you digest a carb, protein or fat, then you are part way to understanding how you can optimise your nutrition and supplementation to help!



*The mouth*
​
*
*



*[*]Mechanical and chemical digestions both begin in the mouth. *


*Chewing is the first step in mechanical digestion.*


*During chewing, salivary glands produce saliva, which mixes with the chewed food. Enzymes in the saliva kill bacteria and begin the process of chemical digestion by breaking down starches to sugars.*


*Human teeth are well adapted for chewing many kinds of food. The 32 teeth of the normal adult have three basic shapes, each with a different function:*


*Incisors *- sharp front teeth used for biting into and tearing pieces of food.


*Canines* - pointed teeth (vampire) next to incisors, used to tear or shred food.


*Molars* - teeth at the back of the mouth, have large flat surfaces that crush and grind food.

As the tongue moves food into the pharynx, it presses down on a small flap of cartilage called the epiglottis. When the epiglottis is depressed, it closes the entrance to the respiratory track and guides the food down the GI track.
*The stomach*





The partially digested food is now in the stomach.


The stomach is a muscular sac with thick, expandable walls.


The stomach walls are made of layers of muscles that contract in opposite directions.


Mechanical digestion occurs when the stomach walls contract strongly, mixing and churning the food. These contractions are responsible for the "growling" noises our stomach makes, they are the loudest when we have an empty stomach.


Chemical digestion in the stomach begins with the actions of hydrochloric acid and an enzyme called pepsin. Glands in the stomach secrete both substances. Why wait for the stomach to secrete the HCL and Pepsin? Give it a hand and take a Multi enzyme supplement and additional HCL/Peptin so that your food starts to break down immediately.


*Pepsin breaks down protein, and works best in an acidic environment, which is provided by the hydrochloric acid.* Do not dilute your natural HCL by drinking too much water with your meal. Drink 250ml maximum.

Another fluid secreted by glands in the stomach is mucus. Mucus lubricates food so that it can travel through the digestive tract more easily.

Mucus also coats the walls of the stomach, protecting the muscle tissue from being broken down by other digestive fluids.

The lives of stomach wall cells are short; they are replaced about every three days.


*After about three hours (2-3 hours)* of mechanical and chemical treatment in the stomach, food is reduced to a soft pulp called chyme (kym). Eat every 3 hours to allow previous meal to digest

Chyme is a thick liquid made up of partially digested proteins, starches, and acids, and undigested sugars and fats.

At this point, the pyloric valve between the stomach and small intestine opens, allowing small amounts of chyme to pass into the small intestine.

By the time chyme has left the stomach, *most proteins have been broken down into smaller polypeptides. Sugars and fats have not yet been chemically altered.* Some starch molecules have been broken down into disaccharides. So if you mix Proteins and carbs/fats in a single meal, the fat and carbs arent broken down until after the Protein, which can take 2-3hours!! Try eating cars seperate from fats/protein.


*The small intestine*





As chyme is pushed through the pyloric valve, it enters the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.


The small intestine performs three major functions on chyme that enters from the stomach.


The *small intestine digests carbohydrates and fats*, completes the digestion of proteins, and absorbs digested nutrients.


The small intestine is long (7m), but its diameter (2.5cm) is smaller than the large intestine.


Some of the digestive fluids that contain enzyme activators and enzymes that digest food in the small intestine come from glands located in the small intestine.


These glands produce enzymes that* digest proteins and carbohydrates.* Polypeptides are broken down here and amino acids are absorbed, not necessary if you took in Amino's in the first place!

The pancreas, an organ located behind the stomach, secretes pancreatic fluid into the small intestine.


*Pancreatic fluid contains enzymes that digest proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.* If you took a multienzyme supplement, this process could potentially have begun 2-3 hours earlier.

Pancreatic fluid also contains sodium bicarbonate (An alkaline), which neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in chyme, protecting the small intestine. So carbs need a more alkaline environment to digest, i;e not the stomach!

The liver is a large brownish organ that lies above the stomach in the abdomen. One of the functions of the liver is to secrete a yellow-brown liquid called bile.

Bile is stored in a small sac called the gallbladder. The entrance of food into the small intestine stimulates the release of bile to the small intestine through a duct.

Bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder until needed.


*Fats in the small intestine are broken down into smaller droplets by bile.*

One of the main functions of *bile is to dissolve cholesterol*. Bile is a salt containing detergent and if the amount of salt in the bile is insufficient, sharp, painful crystals can form, known as gallstones.

Most nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream through the cells that line the small intestine.

The internal surface of the intestine is lined with fingerlike projections called villi.

Villi increase the surface area of the lining of the small intestine, making absorption more efficient.

Nutrients are absorbed through blood vessels and lymph vessels in the villi.

Blood vessels absorb carbohydrates (sugars) and proteins (amino acids).

Lymph vessels called lacteals absorb fats and fatty acids.

Most of the nutrients used by the body are absorbed through the lining of the small intestine.


*Undigested material leaves the small intestine through a valve and enters the large intestine or colon.* If you have optimised your digestion, there should be no undigested food except undigestable cellulose for example. Do you fart a lot?Undigested food entering large intestine will cause flatulence.

An organ called the appendix is located near the junction of the small and large intestine. The appendix is a finger-shaped pouch, which does not serve any known function. If the appendix becomes infected with bacteria, resulting in appendicitis, the appendix must be removed.

*Large intestine or colon*





The large intestine, also called the colon, is about 6 cm wide and 1.5 m long.


The large intestine absorbs water from the material remaining in the digestive tract.


*Water-soluble vitamins are absorbed along with the water.* So Vitamin C for example isn't absorbed until now, at least 3 hours since you took it!! Factor that into your Vitamin timing.

When most of the water has been removed from the undigested material, a solid waste matter called feces remains.

Peristalsis propels the feces through the large intestine and into the rectum, the last few inches of the large intestine. Feces collected in the rectum are eliminated through the anus.

Sometimes a disease or disorder prevents the large intestine from absorbing enough water - the result is diarrhea, or watery feces. Severe diarrhea can result in a loss of water, or dehydration, that can be fatal.

What can you do?

Good enzyme products can be found from Solgar here or Higher Nature here the best I found was Udo's enzymes but they were damn expensive! At the very least take a Protein digesting enzyme such as Bromelain, which is cheap and comes from Pineapples, or Papaine in capsule from or directly from Papaya fruit.

Good Betain HCL and Pepsin products can be found in the Solgar product above or from Higher Nature here.

If you try the above and you still can't eat enough you may have thought of using an appetite stimulator. From Wikipedia:

An appetite enhancer or appetite enhancing drug is any drug (a chemical substance of herbal or synthetic origin) which increases the appetite.

There are several drugs which cause an increase in appetite, including tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), tetracyclic antidepressants, cyproheptadine, buclizine, megestrol, *ginger* as well as cannabis.

You can get Ginger fresh from any supermarket, for convenience though Higher Nature do a timed release Ginger supplement here, at the time of writing it's on special offer too.

A lot of your appetite is controlled by your mind, your stomach however has receptors to tell your brain when you are full, also your blood glucose is an appetite stimulator, as it drops you get hungry! The answer to both is to eat small meals (less than 800 cals) frequently (5-6 times per day).

If your loss of appetite is accompanied by bloating, consider food intolerances such as lactose intolerance (just take lactase enzyme or avoid dairy and you will be ok).

Have you taken antibiotics in the past few months?alternatively it could be because of pathogens in your small intestine caused by a loss of healthy bacteria, such pathogens includes E. coli, S. aureus, Candida albicans (yeast) and C. difficile (a hospital super bug). The answer to these are to take an Acidophillus product once per week, Acidophillus lasts in the intestine 7 days so must be a weekly if not daily addition to your diet. YOu can find acidophillus prodcuts everywhere, yoghurts, smoothies etc btu for convenience Higher Nature do a Probiotic multi here

if this fails perhaps you have IBS?

*Midgut Motility Disorder *

The Primary Motility Disorder of the Mid Gut (Pain, Gas, Bloat and Trapped Wind Syndrome). Although common, this variant of IBS is in our experience the most difficult to treat. It is particularly distressing for women and in this variant, abdominal pain - often right sided - and profound abdominal bloating are typical symptoms. Sufferers often feel very full after meals. Alternatively, they feel hungry but get full and bloated after not much more than a mouthful. Consequently, they often *lose their appetites* and some lose weight. They do not have any real disturbances of bowel action and none of their symptoms are relieved by opening their bowels or passing wind, which distinguishes them from the other two groups. Symptoms are thought to arise as a consequence of abnormal motility and sensation in the small or middle intestine. There is evidence that contents in the small intestine move slower than normal from the small intestine through the valve mechanism between the small intestine and the colon (ileocaecal valve) into the colon. This results in pooling of contents in the lower regions of the small intestine, an effect that leads to *distension and pain* at this site.

*Location of Ileocaecal Valve*










*Main Symptoms*

- diffuse non-localised abdominal pain or discomfort not relieved by opening bowels and not associated with disturbed bowel function.

- diffuse abdominal bloating, not restricted to the upper abdomen

- uncomfortable fullness after meals/feeling full up after eating very little

- trapped gas or wind

- nausea

- *loss of appetite*

HTH

SD


----------



## DB (Oct 31, 2003)

Nice post SD


----------



## SD (Sep 3, 2004)

Bumped this as there are quite a few with digestion problems at the mo

SD


----------



## a.notherguy (Nov 17, 2008)

SD....what are your thoughts on cardio helping with digestion/non bloating?

i find that even a quick ten min run fasted first thing on a morning is enough to stop me feeling bloated during the rest of the day.

if i dont do any cardio i bloat very quickly.

Is this more a case of my body being used to cardio or do you think it does help?


----------



## SD (Sep 3, 2004)

a.notherguy said:


> SD....what are your thoughts on cardio helping with digestion/non bloating?
> 
> i find that even a quick ten min run fasted first thing on a morning is enough to stop me feeling bloated during the rest of the day.
> 
> ...


 Cardio, at least intense cardio raises epinephrine, this induces the body to expel urine and faeces so yes can help digestion.

Any exercise effectively speeds up the motility of the gut.

SD


----------



## aka (Jun 25, 2010)

SD

Thanks for this post and yesterday "alternatives to oats" or something along those lines. Going through the same thing at the mo

cheers


----------



## SD (Sep 3, 2004)

akalatengo said:


> SD
> 
> Thanks for this post and yesterday "alternatives to oats" or something along those lines. Going through the same thing at the mo
> 
> cheers


No problem mate :thumb:

SD


----------



## a.notherguy (Nov 17, 2008)

SD said:


> Cardio, at least intense cardio raises epinephrine, this induces the body to expel urine and faeces so yes can help digestion.
> 
> Any exercise effectively speeds up the motility of the gut.
> 
> SD


 :thumbup1:

cheers SD


----------

