Digestive Health

Your small intestine is responsible for almost all of the absorption of nutrients from the foods we eat.

The small intestine is where the most important work of digestion takes place, that of further breaking down the food we eat into molecular components that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. You may remember from high school biology that the small intestine has three parts: the duodenum, the jejunum and the ileum. Bile from the gallbladder(if you have one), and digestive enzymes from the pancreas, are mixed into the chyme in the duodenum. The final breakdown and absorption of nutrients occurs in the second two parts.

Absorption of nutrients is conducted by microscopic projections along the lining of the small intestine called villi. Celiac disease is a disorder in which the ingestion of gluten results in damage to the villi, which in turn can lead to health problems stemming from the lack of absorption of vital nutrients.