Digestive enzymes play an indispensable role in your gut health. They facilitate the proper breakdown of food, allowing your body to absorb the nutrients it needs in order to function properly.
Digestive enzyme deficiency can prevent your body from getting the essential nutrients, resulting in a variety of gastrointestinal problems, including bloating, stomach cramps, and excessive gas. Let’s delve deeper into the role of enzymes in keeping your gut healthy and fully functional.
The Role of Digestive Enzymes in Optimal Digestive Function
The digestive system consists of organs that are responsible for taking in the foods and liquids you consume and breaking them down into substances that your body can use for energy, growth, and tissue repair.
The digestive system comprises your mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, rectum, anus, pancreas, gallbladder, liver, and salivary glands.
The whole digestive process starts in your mouth, wherein salivary glands secrete digestive enzymes. As has been established, digestive enzymes are responsible for the breakdown of food and liquid into smaller molecules, allowing them to be absorbed into your body.
Your stomach produces digestive juices that render food particles soluble, initiate digestion (particularly of proteins), and convert these food particles into one semiliquid mass, thereby preparing it for further digestion in your small intestine.
Your gallbladder works with your liver and pancreas to send bile and digestive enzymes to your small intestine. The nutrients are absorbed through the wall of your small intestine and distributed all around your body through your bloodstream.
Without enzymes, nutrients in food would just come out as waste products, which will then be excreted when you move your bowels.
There are different types of digestive enzymes, but the main types are the following:
· Amylases
They convert complex carbohydrates into simple sugars.
· Lipases
They process and absorb fats, converting them into fatty acids—which are important for the health of cell membranes—and glycerol.
· Proteases
They break down proteins into amino acids, which are needed to repair body tissues and perform a number of other functions.
Lack of Digestive Enzymes = Poor Digestive Health
Digestive enzyme deficiency can lead to a condition called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), which is a culprit in slow and uncomfortable digestion. This causes diarrhea, abdominal cramps, unexplained weight loss, and unusual stools—which are yellow, greasy, and/or foul-smelling (caused by steatorrhea, a condition characterized by the presence of excess fat in feces).
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is a common complication of celiac disease. This is an inherited autoimmune disorder, which prompts your immune system to attack itself when you consume foods that contain gluten. Celiac disease causes damage to your small intestine and prevents nutrients from being absorbed properly into your body. This malabsorption eventually leads to malnutrition.
Digestive Healthcare in Greater Austin
At Austin Gastroenterology (AG), we specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of gastrointestinal diseases and liver disorders. We use the latest medical and diagnostic technologies to determine the best healthcare solutions for all your GI needs. We are the largest physician group in central Texas and see patients from 18 offices throughout the greater Austin area.
If you would like to find out more about the services we provide or to schedule an appointment, you can call us at the location most convenient to you, or alternatively, use our online appointment request form.
