As you age, physical changes take place on the inside as well as the outside of your body. Your ability to break down and digest food often decreases due to changes in the tissue, muscle and glands that secrete digestive enzymes as you get older. Between 35 and 40 percent of people over age 65 will have at least one gastrointestinal problem in any given year, nurse practitioner Monica Cox, M.S.N. reports. Many factors can cause slower digestion with aging.
Decreased Stomach Acid and Aging
Your stomach may produce less hydrochloric acid as you age. Stomach acid breaks down food so your small and large intestine can absorb it. When you produce less stomach acid, it takes longer to break down food and you may experience more indigestion and feelings similar to heartburn. At the same time, the sphincter muscle between the stomach and esophagus may weaken, causing acid reflux, which may have you reaching for the antacid bottle or baking soda. Since you produce too little acid rather than too much, antacids won't help. Eating smaller, more frequent meals may help.
Reduced Peristalsis
Smooth muscle in the stomach and intestines doesn't contract as forcefully when you get older, so food and waste products move more slowly through the digestive tract. Slower movement can cause a number of age-related GI problems, including an increased tendency to develop ulcers. Elderly people take more non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, or NSAIDS, which can erode the stomach lining. Since food and medications remain in the stomach for longer periods, NSAIDS have more time to eat away at the intestine, causing ulcers. Reduced peristalsis also causes an increase in diverticulosis and constipation.
Diverticulosis and Aging
Around 50 percent of people over age 60 develop diverticula, small pouches in the lining of the large intestine, according to the National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders. By age 80, 66 percent will have diverticula, Ms. Cox reports. Changes in the digestive tract and decreased peristalsis, along with a low-fiber diet, constipation and lack of exercise, contribute to diverticulosis. Inflammation, called diverticulitis, can develop in the pouches. Diverticulitis affects between 10 and 25 percent of people with diverticula at some point in their lives, the NIDDK reports. Diverticular disease can lead to bleeding, infection, abscesses in the intestine or intestinal obstruction.
Constipation
Constipation ranks as one of the most common digestive complaints in American adults, affecting 63 million people, according to Ms. Cox. Lack of fiber in the diet can contribute to constipation in the elderly, who may have trouble chewing due to teeth problems or trouble swallowing due to decreased esophageal motility. Lack of appetite may also lead to choosing processed foods low in fiber. Add lack of exercise, decreased awareness of the sensations of a full colon, possible narcotic use to treat pain and not enough fluid intake, and it's easy to see why constipation affects so many older Americans. Chronic laxative use can make constipation worse.
References
- Jacksonville Gerontological Nurse Practitioners; Aging and GI Disorders; Monica Cox, A.R.N.P.
- eMedTV; Constipation; Arthur Schoenstadt, M.D.; September 2010
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis; July 2008
- Oklahoma State University; Food Intake in Later Years; Janice Hermann, R.D.
- American Academy of Health and Fitness: Digestive System
