Improve these three key areas to achieve Optimal Digestion

Optimal digestion requires an optimal relationship between several factors occurring in and around the digestive tract. For simplicity, I have broken these factors into three areas of importance. The first and probably most obvious is how enzymes are secreted and produced to breakdown food. Another would be the factors involved with absorption of nutrients in the digestive tract. Lastly is the role that the immune system plays in the above two processes. I'm sure you know someone or have experienced gas, bloating, diarrhea, irregular bowel movements, indigestion, or pain in the abdomen. You or they may have this as an occasional minor disruption in your life or you may have these symptoms multiple times per day. In either case these symptoms point to dysfunction and one of the above three key areas.

Let's first look at how and where dysfunction might arise in the digestive tract with regard to enzymes. As we saw in the "digestive system" section, the enzymes in the digestive tract, are secreted in response to key stimuli such as the presence and even smell of food . With the aging process in our bodies the response to these stimuli gets blunted and less enzymes are secreted. The result is the food you eat sits in the digestive tract without being broken down completely. This incomplete digestion is called maldigestion. Mal is latin for bad so "maldigestion" literally means bad digestion, but aging is not the only culprit for this.