Digestion: How Does Your Body Work

By Todd Lee M.D.

Ever wonder what happens when you stick things in your mouth, chew and swallow?  Its actually really complex.  Your gastrointestinal system, or GI is so complex in fact it has its own nervous system, its own set of hormones, its own immune system, its own organ just for filtering toxins!

Carbohydrates are digested as soon as they hit your mouth. Amylase digests these carbs and then the simple sugars which are produced bind to your tongue and begin to signal your pancreas to produce insulin.  Carbohydrates can pass through the lining of your mouth and into your bloodstream. These are then transported to end target organs like the brain muscle and kidney by the blood and absorbed because of the actions of Insulin on these end organ cell membranes.  

Protein and fat are more complicated.  When food hits your stomach the stomach detects 2 main things: if what you swallowed is 92% liquid then it is just absorbed like water. If its 90% water or less then your body treats it like food.  Also if what you swallowed has enough fat in it then the GI system slows down and the pyloric sphincter is closed.  Then the stomach begins churning the stomach contents as acid is released to dissolve the food to mush.  After a few hours the mush is released into the intestines.  This is where the pancreas injects pancreatic enzymes and bile. The food mush, bile, and pancreatic enzymes form Chyme.  

Chyme then moves through your remaining small intestine, the Jejunum and the Ilium.  This is where the nutrients are absorbed through the villi.  whatever chyme isn't absorbed by the time it reaches your colon enters the colon and is now considered feces. This is because the colon has no nutrient absorption, it just absorbs water and electrolytes to dehydrate the feces for elimination.  In your colon there are lots of different types of bacteria which digest the fiber in your diet and any undigested and absorbed food. If you're having gas and bloating, then your eating something you can't digest and or absorb and the bacteria in your colon is.  

for more details and how to ensure your supplements are absorbed and not mixed with chyme and eliminated as feces, effectively flushing your hard earned money down the toilet, click here!