Do you feel:

• Excessive belching, burping or bloating
• Gas immediately following a meal
• Stomach pain, burning or aching 1-4 hours after eating
• Feel hungry an hour or two after eating
• Digestive problems when lying down or bending forward

If you are experiencing any of these situations, then you should try some micronutrients for your GI tract health.

GI Tract Health

Over two thousand years ago, Hippocrates recognized that the gut plays a significant role in overall health and that modern scientific research has substantiated and solidified this view. With GI (gastrointestinal) health, advanced testing, and intricate healing protocols focused a lot when it comes to the GI tract. Some patients may benefit from the precise analysis of the makeup from their gut flora or the specific food elimination and reintroduction strategies, but not to overlook the fundamentals. Addressing the basics like general micronutrient repletion or supplementation with the foundational nutrients can be targeted for therapeutic purposes and can go a long way for an individual’s healing.

The Micronutrients

These are some of the fundamental micronutrients that the body needs to perform the everyday task. These can mostly be found in foods or in supplements and vitamins that are consumed, and even though high restriction diets can deplete these nutrients, they are still crucial for not only our gut health but for the entire body system as well.

Glutamine

The amino acid glutamine is a trusty workhorse for a healthy gut function in the body. Even though it is technically not an essential amino acid, it serves as an energy source for epithelial cells that makes up the intestinal lining for the intestines. Various circumstances like trauma, burns, or recovery from significant operations or illnesses can increase the body’s demand for glutamine.

Glutamine can be found in all protein foods like:

• Eggs
• Beef
• Skim milk
• Tofu
• White rice
• Corn

Taurine

Another amino acid is taurine is beneficial for individuals who need help with the digestion of dietary fats. Taurine is unique due to not being used in any structural protein; however, it has other roles in the body. Taurine can be synthesized from cysteine and can be obtained from animal foods specifically, sadly though it is nonexistent in plant food. Bile acids that are bound with taurine are secreted by the liver; the making of this compound is critical for bile acid function and proper fat absorption in the body.

Taurine can provide these health benefits to the body, which includes:

• Improve blood sugar control and fight diabetes
• Stop the occurrence of epilepsy
• Reduces seizure attacks
• Prevents cardiovascular diseases
• Regulates muscle contractions
• Controls and calms the central nervous system

Potassium

Potassium is the core nutrient that plays a role in a healthy GI function, especially when it comes to intestinal motility. Some disorders like fatigue and cardiac arrhythmias can be the result of potassium deficiency, and inadequate potassium may lead to delayed gastric emptying and intestinal paralysis. If the body is not treated soon, it can lead to chronic illnesses in the GI, causing unpleasant effects like bloating, abdominal pain, and constipation.

All food supplies have an abundance of potassium, but certain medications can reduce potassium levels. Factors like excessive alcohol consumption or strict chronic dieting for weight loss can be the result of inadequate potassium intake and the body status of a person.

Some of the health benefits that potassium can provide are:

• Maintains constant blood pressure
• Reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases
• Maintains bone density
• Maintains muscle mass

Vitamin B6

B vitamins, especially vitamin B6, are highly essential to the GI tract because they make sure that the brain is also healthy as well. Deficiency of vitamin B6 can cause these symptoms:

• Tingling, numbness, and pain in the hands and feet
• Anemia
• Seizures
• Depression
• Confusion
• Weak immune system

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that produces the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine and forming myelin for the body. This vitamin can help boost brain function and can improve memory function. Some of the other benefits it can provide to the body are:

• Lowers the risk of dementia
• Reduce the severity of nausea during pregnancy
• Protection from air pollution
• Ensures the normal functioning of digestive enzymes

Conclusion

Even though these are the necessary foundational micronutrients and amino acids for their roles in the GI tract, it is crucial for individuals who have these micronutrient deficiencies. Even though the popularity of highly restrictive diets emphasizes on caloric restrictions for weight loss for individuals, it can limit the intake of certain nutrient-dense foods. It can cause disruptions to the gastrointestinal tract. When a person surrounds themselves with an abundance of foods with these micronutrients can live a healthy life. Some products combined with these micronutrient foods can provide support to the gastrointestinal system and help boost the sugar metabolism for the body.

October is Chiropractic Health Month. To learn more about it, check out Governor Abbott’s declaration on our website to get full details on this historic moment.

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal and nervous health issues as well as functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or chronic disorders of the musculoskeletal system. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .

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References:

Brazier, Yvette. “Vitamin B-6: Benefits, Dosage, Food Sources, and Deficiency Symptoms.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 27 Mar. 2017, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/219662.php.

Cadman, Bethany. “L-Glutamine for IBS: Benefits, Side Effects, and Research.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 7 Feb. 2018, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320850.php.

Caporuscio, Jessica. “What Is Taurine? Benefits and Side Effects.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 26 Sept. 2019, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326476.php.

Higdon, Jane. “Potassium.” Linus Pauling Institute, 14 Oct. 2019, lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/potassium#deficiency.

Mawer, Rudy. “What Is Taurine? Benefits, Side Effects, and More.” Healthline, 27 Nov. 2018, www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-taurine.

Megan Ware, RDN. “Potassium: Health Benefits and Recommended Intake.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 10 Jan. 2018, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287212.php.

Team, DFH. “Micronutrients in GI Health.” Designs for Health, 11 Oct. 2019, blog.designsforhealth.com/node/1123.

Tinsley, Grant. “Glutamine: Benefits, Uses, and Side Effects.” Healthline, 13 Jan. 2018, www.healthline.com/nutrition/glutamine.