Digestive disorders are among the most widespread in the world, with 401TPTP3T of the world's population suffering from gastrointestinal imbalances such as bloating, constipation or irritable bowel syndrome. Most often, the cause of these complaints is an unbalanced diet, low in digestive-boosting fiber and high in fat, a sedentary lifestyle, lack of hydration, stress, other chronic conditions, etc.
In addition to discomfort, digestive imbalances are also an additional source of toxins in the body, because food waste is not eliminated naturally. And to understand how important a normal and complete digestive cycle is, we need to understand the stages of the digestive cycle and how each part of the digestive system, and not only each part, participates in the process.
Like sleeping or breathing, and digestion is one of the body's vital functions and is all the processes that break down food to turn it into the nutrients essential for building and renewing all cellswhether it's in your muscles, bones, nerves, blood, skin or eyes.
A complete process from ingestion to elimination takes on average 24 hours. After the few minutes it takes to chew and swallow, the food bowl spends about four hours in the stomach and small intestine, another four hours in the large intestine and another 16 hours in the rectum before it is eliminated.
Digestion begins in the oral cavity with chewing. This is an essential activity because it breaks down food so that it is more easily broken down by saliva and gastric juices. Saliva has an extremely important role in the digestive process: it contains amylase, which initiates the breakdown of starch (complex carbohydrates), contains antimicrobial agents (lysozyme) and facilitates chewing and swallowing (lubricates the food bowl).
After swallowing, food moves through the esophagus by a reflex mechanism. Once in the stomach, the food bolus is digested mechanically by the smooth muscles of the stomach walls and biochemically by gastric juices: a mixture of mucus (which protects the gastric lining), hydrochloric acid, pepsin (a protein-digesting enzyme) and lipase (a fat-digesting enzyme),
As food leaves the stomach, it takes on a semi-solid form called gastric chyme, which is broken down in the duodenum (the upper part of the small intestine) into digestible base matter by the combined action of intestinal, pancreatic and bile juices.
Digestion and absorption of simple metabolites are completed throughout the small intestine and colon (or large intestine). The latter contains most of the digestive flora, consisting essentially of bacteria (over 400 species observed) and yeasts.
This bacterial flora is divided into two categories: fermenting flora and putrefying flora.
Fermentation: Bacterial enzymes completely break down undigested plant residues by gastric juices, such as plant fiber, bile salts and certain types of drugs. This fermentation is normal.
Putrefaction: is an antagonistic mechanism that occurs in neutral environments and consists of the breakdown of protein residues, in particular bacterial fermentation residues. Excess meat and an incompletely chewed food bowl (due to eating too quickly) can result in insufficiently digested animal protein-rich material ending up in the gut. When putrefactive bacteria invade the small intestine to break down this waste, they cause bloating and flatulence.
Our gut flora has other important roles:
All these mechanical (other than voluntary movements such as chewing or swallowing) and biochemical processes are dependent on the nervous and hormonal systems, which are in turn controlled by the central nervous system. For example, gastric secretion occurs from reflex stimulation of the vagus nerve (innervating the stomach), followed by the release of a hormone, gastrin.
Gastric juices are also known to be stimulated by the sight, smell and taste of food, or simply by imagining a pleasant meal; similarly, gastric secretion can be altered by sadness or anxiety.
Therefore, digestion involves complex regulating mechanisms, which means that their balance can easily be affected by our lifestyle and diet. A rushed lunch of hard-to-digest and insufficiently chewed foods is sure to lead to a heavy stomach, bloating, drowsiness or heartburn.
There are also other causes of poor digestion: poor digestion, poor dental health, a sedentary lifestyle, which reduces muscle tone, sandwiches eaten on the run, a stressful environment (noise, arguments) and, depending on individual sensitivities and habits, spicy or acidic foods or excess food intake: rich meals.
Even seasonal menus need to be balanced to prevent digestive problems. In summer, the combination of salads, fresh fruit and fizzy drinks is not the happiest for the stomach. Similarly, in winter, high-fat foods can have the same effect.
An unbalanced diet, combined with incomplete chewing, can lead to sluggish digestion, which in turn causes persistent or systematic bloating, heartburn, constipation, etc. The result is a round, unsightly and uncomfortable stomach. A non-aggressive, effective natural product is therefore useful when combined with food hygiene and dietary advice.
A natural and effective solution against common digestive disorders is Vitavea Santé's Ultradigest range of food supplements, which contains products with specific actions against certain imbalances. Ultradigest Effidigest After-meal stimulates digestion after heavy meals, Ultradigest Transit prevents constipation and promotes natural digestion and Ultradigest Bloating reduces the discomfort of bloating.
Ultradigest Effidigest After Meal reduces the feeling of heaviness in your stomach after heavier meals. Basically, it's a combination of fiber and probiotics. Two strains of lactic ferments normally present in the digestive tract (Bifidobacterium bifidum and L. acidophilus), together with extracts of exotic fruits - papaya and pineapple - produce enzyme activity that stimulates digestion. It comes in effervescent, rapidly absorbed tablets.
Ultradigest Transit facilitates a natural intestinal transit, thanks to the combination of slow and fast-acting laxative ingredients. Sea buckthorn extract and tamarind extract absorb water and facilitate transit through a ballast effect, while the fiber in plum juice increases stool weight and frequency. This stimulates bowel transit in a natural, non-aggressive way.
Ultradigest Bloating contains five natural ingredients to reduce bloating and restore digestive comfort. Fennel and nalba help to reduce bloating, while activated charcoal attracts and retains many substances such as toxins, gases or heavy metals and facilitates the elimination of toxic agents already absorbed. In addition to its benefits in stimulating digestion, fennel also improves gastric motility and ginger supports normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Ultradigest supplements are part of the Vitavea Santé range of natural food supplements from the French group Havea, Europe's largest manufacturer in the field. The products are available in major physical and online pharmacy chains and on their own website vitavea.ro.
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