By Amy Capetta, Good Housekeping
You know your body's brilliantly designed to digest food; every time a
morsel or a sip passes your lips, you set off a complicated machine that
eventually transforms that little bit of deliciousness into the energy
and cellular activity you need to survive.
Ever wondered what exactly
goes on between the table and, well, the toilet? We teamed up with Bayer
Consumer Health, makers of MiraLAX, an over-the-counter laxative that
works with the water in your system to ease, hydrate and soften to
unblock your system naturally, to bring you this top-to-bottom tour of
your digestive tract in motion.
The Nibbler
[post_ads]Yes, the process begins at first bite. As you munch away, saliva mixes with the food
in your mouth to help it first slide down the throat, and then to the
esophagus. Fun fact: The mouth contains three pairs of larger salivary
glands that produce about two pints (one liter) of spit each day!
The Pipes
The esophagus's main job is to carry
food, liquid, and saliva from your mouth to your stomach. It's an
involuntary process that functions with the help of muscular layers
called sphincters, which are located at the upper and lower ends of the
esophagus. As soon as a beverage or bits of food enter this area, a
series of contractions (called peristalsis) allow the muscles to relax
so that the items can glide down to the belly.
Your Inner Blender
This is where the real action begins! The super-muscular stomach
has three jobs: storing swallowed food, grinding it into even smaller
pieces courtesy of digestive juices that are made from acid and enzymes,
and releasing the resulting liquidy paste into the small intestine.
This paste is released into the small intestine in small quantities,
while the rest stays in the stomach for extra blending before it makes
its way down to the small intestine.
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"What's interesting about the stomach is that this is where acid reflux — such a common problem — happens," says Nancy Simpkins, MD, a board certified internist. "Acidic
foods, such as red sauce, can travel back up and 'burn' the esophagus."
If eating less of the contributing foods and taking an antacid doesn't
put out the fire, Dr. Simpkins suggests consulting your physician.
Breakdown Central
Don't be fooled by its name — when the
small intestine is stretched out, it's about 22 feet long. Food and
drinks pass through three sections of the small intestine — the
duodenum, jejunum, and ileum — before they head south to the colon. In
fact, 90% of digestion and food absorption occurs in this long, narrow
tube. "Basically, it's a workhorse that breaks things down and absorbs
[most] of the nutrients from healthy foods," Dr. Simpkins says. There
are very few diseases, she continues, that affect this fairly
well-protected organ (with the exception of Crohn's disease, which can originate in the small intestine).
Juicer
The pancreas, liver, and gallbladder
work simultaneously with the small intestine by producing digestive
juices. The pancreas distributes enzymes (for breaking down protein,
fats, and carbs) and insulin (the hormone that helps your body use
sugar).
[post_ads]At the same time, the liver processes nutrients, metabolizes fat, and filters out chemicals that may be harmful to the body, while the gallbladder forces bile — which helps fat absorption — into the small intestine. Gallbladder conditions like gallstones are much more common in the female population, Dr. Simpkins says. They happen when the gallbladder needs to regularly work overtime to break down fatty foods.
[post_ads]At the same time, the liver processes nutrients, metabolizes fat, and filters out chemicals that may be harmful to the body, while the gallbladder forces bile — which helps fat absorption — into the small intestine. Gallbladder conditions like gallstones are much more common in the female population, Dr. Simpkins says. They happen when the gallbladder needs to regularly work overtime to break down fatty foods.
The Final Frontier
How's this for irony: The large
intestine, a.k.a. the colon is three times shorter than the small
intestine — it's about 6 feet long. It connects the small intestine to
the rectum, and it's here that anything left over from the digestion
process is turned into solid waste. When the system is working smoothly,
an easy bowel movement will occur about 36 hours after this entire
process began.
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And when it's not...well, this is where some of the
most common GI complaints occur. Constipation, for example, can leave
you feeling bloated and "off." It's defined as pooping less than three
times a week, with small stools that are difficult to pass and different
from your normal pattern. "Garden-variety constipation — something that
60-70% of my female patients have at any given time — is usually
diet-related," Dr. Simpkins says. For an occasional backup in the
colon, consider drinking more water, eating fiber-rich foods, doing gentle exercises,
or taking an over-the-counter remedy, like MiraLAX (which works with
the water in your body to hydrate, ease and soften, unblocking your
system naturally).
"The main thing that gastroenterologists
and internists like about MiraLAX is that it's not a stimulant to the
colon like many over-the-counter medications," she adds. "It pulls fluid
into the bowel, but only the proper amount that your bowel needs to
keep everything running at a normal rate." While occasional constipation is common, seek medical attention if you're plugged up for a week or more.
