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Digestion

Digestion

In recent years, scientists have paid more and more attention to the human microbiome. The human microbiome is represented by all the microorganisms that inhabit our body and can be found in the gut, on the skin, in the oral cavity, and in the urogenital tract. The function of the microbiome is so important for the normal body functioning that nowadays we see it as one of the human organs.

Probably the intestinal microbiome itself has the greatest impact on our well-being and health. It even affects the functioning of the brain, the immune system and our hormonal balance. More and more research is being done on the connection between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract. This so-called cerebrovascular axis is associated with the development of various mental disorders and other diseases, such as depression, irritable bowel syndrome, various forms of anxiety and stress, and even Alzheimer’s disease.

The intestinal microbiome is largely dependent on the food we eat, but it can also be partly influenced by taking probiotics and prebiotics. In the following, we want to touch on some nutrients that are especially important for a healthy digestive tract.

Collagen

The function of collagen in our body is to provide the tissue with a specific structure, which also includes the specific structure of the tissue in the digestive tract. Our digestive tract is about 9 meters long on average. So this is 9 meters of tissue that constantly needs a supply of collagen. Amino acids that are ingested by ingesting hydrolysed collagen are also used, among other things, to regenerate the intestinal wall, which can positively affect the symptoms of permeable bowel syndrome (source 1). The problem with the permeable intestine is that various toxins or even bacteria pass from the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream.

Collagen is also a good source of glycine, an amino acid that has a proven anti-inflammatory effect (source 2). Inflammation is the cause of many other diseases, so anti-inflammatory agents are extremely important.

Curcumin

Curcumin is an active ingredient with anti-inflammatory function, which is found in the roots of the turmeric plant. By inhibiting inflammatory processes, it can prevent the development of irritable bowel syndrome (source 3).


Source

  1. Bischoff SCBarbara GBuurman WOckhuizen TSchulzke JDSerino MTilg HWatson AWells JM. Intestinal permeability--a new target for disease prevention and therapy. BMC Gastroenterol. 2014 Nov 18;14:189. doi: 10.1186/s12876-014-0189-7.
  2. Zhong ZWheeler MDLi XFroh MSchemmer PYin MBunzendaul HBradford BLemasters JJ. L-Glycine: a novel antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, and cytoprotective agent. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2003 Mar;6(2):229-40.