Your Stomach in Knots: How Stress Affects Gut Health By Stephanie Walsh, CPT, CNTP, CEPC Psychological Association A
It is no secret that stress has become a normal part of life in this 21st century. However, what is not readily known is how much that stress is affecting your gut health. From physical dam- age of your digestive function to psychological warfare between your brain and gut, your stress load plays a big part in your gut and overall health.
Know Your Inside Tract The digestive tract is one long tube – from mouth to anus –
accessorized by some key organs like your liver, gallbladder and pancreas. Each stop along the way is an important part of your food’s journey, so dysfunction at any point reduces your ability to properly digest and absorb key nutrients, or prevents the elimina- tion of waste and toxins. To better understand dysfunction, you fi rst have to understand optimal function of your digestive system.
Starting with your fi rst bite, your mouth’s job is to mechanically
breakdown and liquefy foods as well as initiate the chemical break- down of carbohydrates and, to a lesser extent, fats. Healthy teeth, tongue and salivary glands mean a healthy mouth. The esophagus has a very simple task – transport food to your stomach. But to prevent food from going in the wrong direction, there is an upper esophageal sphincter (UES) near the trachea and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) that connects to the stomach. A healthy esophagus means healthy downward movement and strong sphincters.
Entering the stomach, your food fi nally starts its fi rst real break-
down. Gastric juices – including hydrochloric acid (HCl), pepsino- gen and lipase – help breakdown proteins and fats as well as kill microbes. Another substance produced in the stomach, intrinsic factor, is required for your body to absorb vitamin B12. Finally, the hormone gastrin helps to regulate your appetite by making you feel satiated when you’ve had enough. Any damage to the stomach lin- ing can lead to ulcers or reduce your ability to create gastric juices. This increases your potential for nutrient defi ciencies, illness from food borne pathogens and unregulated appetite.
24 ELM Maine - November/December 2017
ccording to a 2017 survey by Stress In America, 24% of adults reported extreme stress while more than one-third stated their stress increased over the past year. – American
Once your food, now called chyme, enters your small intestine, this is where things get interesting! The small intestine has some very big jobs. It is the location where you complete di- gestion, or the breakdown, of your food into individual amino acids, lipids, saccharides, vitamins and minerals. The small intes- tine is also responsible for passing nutrients into the bloodstream and preventing absorption of unwanted foreign substances. The cells of the intestinal lining are held together by tight junctions that, when healthy, permit only tiny substances through, like amino acids and vitamins. These tight junctions also prevent larger sub- stances, such as undigested food particles and bacteria, from getting into the bloodstream.
The small intestine is 15-20 feet long and covered in micro-
villi, tiny fi ngerlike projections, which give it a surface area the size of a tennis court! The health of your entire small intestine is critical to optimal health not only because damage can lead to intestinal permeability, but also because different nutrients are absorbed at different areas along your intestine. The small intestine is divided into three parts:
The duodenum connects the small intestine to the stomach and absorbs calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamins B1, B2 and B6, folate, vitamin C, monosaccharides, fat, and fat soluble vitamins A, D and E.
• The jejunum is the middle part and absorbs thiamine, pyridoxine, ribofl avin, folic acid, disaccharides, proteins and amino acids.
• The ileum is the fi nal section connecting to the large intestine and absorbs cholesterol, vitamin B12 and bile salts. • Damage anywhere along the small intestine can lead to nutrient defi ciencies, leaky gut syndrome, food allergies, infl ammation, autoimmune diseases and more.
Absorption of nutrients also takes place in the large intestine. Before the end of the road, the large intestine absorbs potassium, water, sodium chloride, vitamin K and short chain fatty acids. The large intestine is also home to most of your microbiome – com- mensal and probiotic bacteria. These little bugs are benefi cial and necessary. Probiotic bacteria manufacture nutrients your body uses, balance intestinal pH, protect you from toxic substances, reduce intestinal infl ammation, normalize cholesterol and triglycer-
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