Steps to a Healthier Digestive System Elimination diets are a good method of determining what foods cause allergy or an irritation of the GIT lining in a patient irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Planning and following such diets are a safe starting point for anyone desiring to track their GIT response to food irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Interview Interview physicians to learn who may be most qualified to assist in planning an elimination diet irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis A very good indicator of a healthy GIT is a regular transit time for complete food digestion irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Patients who are regular are usually in optimum health irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Aging causes many people to experience experience problems with digestion irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis It is estimated that after age 40 there is an approximate decrease in the body's ability to produce enzymes by 20 to 30% irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis This can be helped by the use of specific enzymes to improve the efficiency of digestion irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Enzymes can be used to to enhance the proper breakdown of foods in order to more properly digest, absorb, and utilize nutrients irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Enzymes Are a Vital Component of the Digestive Process Enzymes are essential to the body's absorption and full use of food irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis The capacity of the living organism to make enzymes diminishes with with age, and some scientists believe that humans could live longer and be healthier by guarding against the loss of our precious enzymes irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Enzymes are responsible for every activity of life irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Even thinking requires enzyme activity irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis There are two primary classes of enzymes responsible for maintaining life functions: functions: digestive and metabolic irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis The primary digestive enzymes are proteases (to digest proteins) , amylases (to digest carbohydrates) , and lipases (to digest fats) irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis These enzymes function as a biological catalyst to help break down food irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Raw foods also provide enzymes that naturally break down food for for proper absorption irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Metabolic enzymes are responsible for the structuring, repair, and remodeling of every cell, and the body is under a great daily burden to supply sufficient enzymes for optimal health irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Metabolic enzymes operate in every cell, every organ, and every tissue and they need constant replenishment irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Digestion of food takes a high priority and has a high demand for enzymes irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis When we eat, enzymatic activity begins in the mouth, where salivary amylase, lingual lipase, and ptyalin initiate starch and fat digestion irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis In the stomach, hydrochloric acid activates pepsinogen to pepsin, which breaks down protein, protein, and gastric lipase begins the hydrolysis of fats irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Without proper enzyme production, the body has a difficult time digesting food, often resulting in a variety of chronic disorders irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Poor eating habits, including inadequate chewing and eating on the run, may result in inadequate enzyme production and hence malabsorption malabsorption of food which is exacerbated by aging because this is a time of decreased hydrochloric acid production as well as a general decline in digestive enzyme secretion irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Saliva is rich in amylase, while gastric juice contains protease irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis The pancreas secretes digestive juices containing high concentrations of amylase and and protease as well as a smaller concentration of lipase irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis It also secretes a small concentration of maltase, which reduces to dextrose irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Animals eating raw food often have no enzymes at all in saliva, unlike humans irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis However, dogs fed a high carbohydrate, heat-treated diet have been found to to develop enzymes in their saliva within a week in response to enzyme-depleting foods irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis One of America's pioneering biochemists and nutrition researchers, Dr irritable-bowel-syndrome-colitis Edward Howell (1986) , cites numerous animal studies showing that animals fed diets that are deficient in enzymes have enlargement of the pancreas, as huge amounts | 