NEWS report from ANP July 2007

Gut reaction... digestive upsets

Nothing is more important to your overall health than the health of your digestive tract - it is the interface between your body and the outside world. Over a lifetime, no less than 100 tons of food passes along your digestive tract. The digestive tract is your 'inside skin' and amazingly, most of the billions of cells that make up this barrier between your body and the environment are renewed every four days. We spend our physical lives processing organic matter, extracting nutrients, building materials and fuel, and eliminating the rest. How good we are at this determines our energy level, longevity and state of body and mind.

Your digestive system is the most reactive part of your body. As your gut has more immune cells than the rest of your body, any reactions to what you eat can shut down the complex sequence that leads to proper digestion, absorption and elimination. This, in turn, can lead to constipation, bloating, intermittent diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

A recent survey undertaken with 22,000 people found that 71% had sub-optimal digestion. One in four often experienced indigestion, one in two flatulence or bloating and four in five didn't have a bowel movement every day. These are classic signs that all is not quite as it should be. The immediate effects are often low energy, poor skin, headaches, foggy thinking and food allergies, leading to all sorts of aches and pains from itches to arthritis.

Food clues

The good news is that there are some easy steps to improve your digestion and your health. lnclude fresh fruit and vegetables daily; these should make up the bulk of your diet. Protein in the form of fresh fish, chicken or turkey and raw, unsalted nuts and seeds alongside cold pressed olive or seed oils for dressings and cooking. Complex carbohydrate whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, oats and wheat should make up no more than a third of your diet.

Avoid as much as possible the following: red meat, refined foods e.g. white bread/pasta/rice, sugar and any foods containing it, salt and any foods containing it, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fat, artificial sweeteners, food additives and preservatives (a useful rule - if you can't pronounce it, avoid it!), alcohol, tea and coffee, all fizzy drinks including cola and squash.

For more information: lmprove Your Digestion - Patrick Holford £6.99 available from your salon.

What's good about... Probiotics

The average person has around 400 different types of friendly bacteria, mainly resident in the digestive tract, which are forever multiplying. These bacteria are the first line of defence against unfriendly bacteria and other disease-producing microbes including viruses and fungi. The good guys, principally two families of bacteria called the Lactobacillus and Bifodobacteria, to a large extent keep the pathogenic bad guys under control. They also make some vitamins and digest fibre, allowing us to derive more nutrients from otherwise indigestible food.

Supplementing these friendly bacteria gives pathogenic bacteria less chance of survival. There are many different strains of 'friendly' bacteria, some of which actually live in the gut, while others simply ‘pass through' and are useful while they're there. Those that are resident, sometimes called ‘human strain', are usually more powerful at fighting infection. Others are available in fermented foods such as yoghurt, miso and sauerkraut. Generally when supplementing probiotic powder you need to take a teaspoon a day, providing around a billion individual bacteria.

The purpose of antibiotic drugs is to kill life (anti-bio). But as well as destroying pathogenic bacteria, antibiotics also destroy friendly ones. The more 'broad spectrum' the antibiotic, the more strains of beneficial bacteria will also be killed. A single course of antibiotics can wipe out beneficial strains of bacteria for six months or more. When antibiotics are necessary, be sure to take a course of probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidus for one month after finishing the antibiotic course to restore your healthy gut bacteria.

What's bad about... antacids

The manufacturers of antacids would have us believe that excessive stomach acid production is the cause of heartburn or ulcers. Actually, the opposite is usually the cause; too little hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Stomach acid is a vital part of good digestion; it kills bacteria and parasites, and breaks down essential nutrients in your food so that they can be absorbed in the small intestine.

When there is insufficient stomach acid, your digestion slows down and your food doesn't move along into the small intestine. This leads to heartburn as the stomach pushes partially digested food mixed with stomach acid back up into the esophagus. Unlike the stomach, which is protected from acid by a powerful mucous lining, your esophagus is not equipped to handle this industrial strength acid, hence, the painful burning sensation in the chest, well known to those who suffer heartburn. Because the valve that opens to allow food to pass from the stomach into the small intestine is triggered by the right amount of stomach acid, too little acid causes food to sit undigested in the stomach, resulting in more heartburn. Once again, this is a case of the 'cure’ making the problem worse.

Antacids will do the job of neutralising painful stomach acid for up to an hour, relieving the immediate symptoms of heartburn. The problem is, an hour later your stomach may pump out an even greater quantity of acid to make up for it, and you're back reaching for another antacid. Some people become dependent on antacids in this way. It's dangerous to neutralise your stomach acid with any frequency. Remember your stomach acid is what protects you from harmful bacteria. Antacids also interfere with the action of the enzyme, pepsin, which makes it difficult for you to digest proteins.

Did you know? Frequent use of antacids commonly cause deficiencies in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin B12 and those that contain magnesium may cause diarrhoea, while those containing aluminum can cause constipation and intestinal blockage.

ANP presents: Probiotics

Advanced Nutrition Programme has formulated a powder containing Lactiobacillus and Bifidum bacteria which is ideal for those who don't like taking capsules. 1/4 level teaspoon provides Lactiobacillus acidophilus and Bifidus infantis, longum and brevis 16mg (in the order of millions of viable organisms at the time of manufacture). ldeal for adults and children it can be sprinkled in water, juice or in cereals and once opened should be stored in a cool, dry place.

Edited by: Lucy Ibbison

IMPORTANT: The content of this newsletter is for general information only and does not constitute medical or other professional advice.

Good skin starts on the inside - talk to your therapist or visiting nutritionist about the Advanced Nutrition Programme products