When you sit down to eat a meal you probably do not give much consideration to the digestive process taking place inside of you. From the moment the food enters your mouth it is met by digestive enzymes needed to breakdown the food into nutrients needed by your body. Yogurt contains live active cultures which are also beneficial to your digestive tract. Together they are useful to a healthy digestive system.
Function
Digestive enzymes, often called digestive juices, are produced in the body and found in various types of food. These enzymes are needed by the body to break down foods into the nutrients your body needs. Within the body, digestive enzymes are first excreted in the saliva, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. The digestive enzymes adapt to the body's needs as the food moves through the digestive tract, extracting different nutrients along the way.
Identification
Yogurt contains live active cultures often referred to as probiotics. Probiotics are a good bacteria which are also found within the intestines. Probiotics are found in some foods, such as yogurt and in supplement form. Probiotics are often used to treat certain illnesses like diarrhea and yeast infections, and to promote general wellness, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Effects
Both digestive enzymes and the beneficial bacteria in yogurt function within the small intestine. The bacteria from the yogurt may help to keep the small intestine functioning properly. The right amount of good bacteria will maintain stability and decrease the opportunity for unhealthy bacteria to take over. When the small intestine is healthy, digestive enzymes continue to be produced to breakdown food as it is moved along the digestive tract. As the food passes through the various sections of the small intestine, different nutrients are extracted.
Considerations
Researchers at Penn State University determined that a low level of one type of digestive enzyme may worsen inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory bowel disease, which includes ulcerative colitis and Chron's disease affect over half a million Americans, according to News-Medical.net. Yogurt is considered to be effective at decreasing the symptoms of these illnesses. Yogurt is part of the treatment plan and may be beneficial to people with low levels of the meprin digestive enzyme.
Potential
Yogurt is generally a milk-based product and contains lactose, a type of milk sugar. The live cultures in the yogurt produces lactase. Some people lack the digestive enzyme, lactase, needed to digest lactose and are considered to be lactose intolerant. As a result, some lactose intolerant people are able to eat yogurt without side effects. You should look for yogurt with active cultures, as heat pasteurized yogurt will not offer this benefit.
References
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Your Digestive System and How It Works
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: An Introduction to Probiotics
- News-Medical.net: Discovery of Enzyme Involved in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- AskDrSears.com: Yogurt
- MayoClinic.com: Probiotics
