Whether your digestive problems are caused by poor diet or stress, the scientific world is suggesting natural remedies to help alleviate these all too common ailments we’ve caused ourselves from years of abuse. Whether that abuse came from a lack of knowledge or illness, medication or various stresses, some of us have damaged our digestive systems to the point that they are not able to properly absorb the nutrient content from our meals. So, not only are we losing valuable nourishment, but we have pain, inflammation, bloating, gas, nausea and diarrhea, eventually leading to a more serious condition where the intestinal lining is irritated, called leaky gut.

Research has identified three main heroes in this battle to settle your stomach: Enzymes, Probiotics, and Fiber. Enzymes are in the mouth, stomach, and intestines waiting to help breakdown your food. They are catalysts for chemical reaction. Each enzyme has one specific target it breaks down. The three general groups acting together and when needed are proteases (for proteins), amylases (for carbohydrates), and lipases (for fats). If you don’t have the proper amount or kind, you will have leftover food in the stomach, leading to digestive problems. When food is left undigested in the stomach, it can ferment (sugars), causing gas, bloating, and abdominal pain; and/or irritate the intestinal lining (proteins) causing pain, inflammation, bloating, and leaky gut. Many of these symptoms can be confused with a food allergy or other food intolerance, when actually it’s just lack of the proper enzyme availability to break down the food type. Though there are many enzyme products that target specific problems, a broad-spectrum digestive enzyme that digests all types of food in the stomach and small intestine at the appropriate pH levels would do just fine.

Enzymes may have a fundamental role in digesting certain foods/nutrients, but beneficial bacteria rule the microflora-hood of the intestines. These digestive system areas are naturally home to live bacteria, both good and bad. The theory is the good bacteria compete with the bad for receptor sites on the intestinal wall. The more good bacteria that win, the healthier the gut. However, as is the case with enzymes, various dietary and other factors—taking antibiotics, eating food tainted with harmful bacteria, etc.—can negatively affect or challenge the microfloral health in the gut. Without holding a biochemistry class, I will just say the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of regular, compliant probiotic supplementation. Although, for very specific digestive problems, further research could be beneficial to identify the exact strain of bacteria to correct a specific problem. There is very specific research being done, and if you do the work, you can find your cure. There have even been reports of probiotic treatment coupled with antifungal therapy that benefited the restoration and healing of colonic damage in ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. Probiotic yeasts can help with travelers and antibiotic-associated diarrhea. That’s great stuff! Understanding complicated wording and intricacies of details of these strain-specific research findings don’t have to be the consumer’s responsibility, though. It has always been, and will continue to be, marketing’s responsibility to translate and convey the key points and how probiotics will benefit them. Some general advice is to find a simple and convenient delivery form made from a reputable company, that you won’t forget to take. Also, probiotics are inherently unstable and can easily die in warm environments and those where there is high water activity (shots and yogurt); so pills and bars may be your best bet. Don’t get bogged down with fancy, long, scientific words.

The last piece to the puzzle is fiber. There is two types, soluble and insoluble. Soluble forms a gel-like substance in the digestive system and slows the movement of food, while insoluble (a prebiotic) goes through the digestive tract relatively unchanged speeding up the movement of the food and increasing stool bulk. Both can lead to bloating and gas if too much fiber and too little fluid is consumed. One of the very important functions of fiber is fermentation with bacteria and the development of short-chain fatty acids. This fermentation of fiber may initially cause some gas and bloating, which normally subsides within the first week of increasing the fiber amount. Developing healthy, “good” bacteria in the gut is the goal, as well as, creating regularity of bowel movements. The insoluble fiber is also a prebiotic—indigestible fiber that serves as “food” for the probiotics in the gut. So, you can see how the combination of the pre- and probiotics used synergistically help overall digestive health.

The connection between diet and digestive health presents an opportunity for natural products based on dietary ingredients to help consumers with various digestive issues. When the real thing just isn’t working (or you can’t eat enough or just don’t like that food!), look to the next best thing for relief—a supplemental version of enzymes, probiotics, and fiber. A happy belly is a happy person!