The Digestion Pathway (and how to troubleshoot gut symptoms)
1. BRAIN
This is where digestion begins. With the thought, sight, & smell of food, your brain tells the other organs to turn on digestive processes.
Mindless or distracted eating means that your body does not recognize it is being fed, impacting every subsequent step.
2. MOUTH
In addition to mechanical chewing, saliva begins to chemically break down food.
Are you chewing enough? Food should be liquid before swallowing.
3. STOMACH
HCl (hydrochloric acid) and pepsin further break down & kill any pathogens in your food.
Insufficient stomach acid can hinder the rest of digestion, leading to a feeling of excessive fullness, constipation, or gut infections.
4. LIVER & GALLBLADDER
These organs produce & release bile to help break down fats.
If impaired, a person may experience fatty stools, nausea, and a long-term fatty acid deficiency.
5. PANCREAS
This organ creates & releases enzymes to finish breaking down food once it enters the small intestine. It also neutralizes the acid coming from the stomach.
Without sufficient pancreatic digestive enzymes, your body may not be absorbing & using the nutrients you are eating.
6. SMALL INTESTINE
Most nutrient absorption occurs here (until now, food was still technically outside your body). This is also where the immune system screens for invaders.
Imbalance can lead to nutrient deficiencies (not enough absorbed) OR food allergies & inflammation (if the wrong molecules are absorbed). If bacteria overgrows here (from insufficient HCl, constant snacking, etc), you may experience bloating & cramping.
7. LARGE INTESTINE
This is the final stage of digestion & home to trillions of microbes that help modulate your immune system, impact your mood, keep you regular, & synthesize valuable nutrients.
If food was not properly digested earlier in the process, bacteria feed on it now, leading to bloating, gas, and dysbiosis.
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References
Digestive system: Function, Organs & Anatomy. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7041-the-structure-and-function-of-the-digestive-system.
Jones, D. S., Bland, J. S., & Quinn, S. (2010). Textbook of Functional Medicine. Institute for Functional Medicine.
NTA Student Guide. (2019). Nutritional Therapy Association.
Browning, K. N., & Travagli, R. A. (2014). Central nervous system control of gastrointestinal motility and secretion and modulation of gastrointestinal functions. Comprehensive Physiology, 4(4), 1339–1368. https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.c130055