Longevity and Digestion
by Harold J. Kristal, D.D.S.

The focus of much nutritional research these days is in the fascinating area of longevity and life extension. There is much discussion of human growth hormone (HGH) and its precursors, as well as special amino acids, glandular formulations, and various exotic combinations of vitamins and minerals. Though the use of HGH products should be seen as strictly experimental at this time, due to a lack of knowledge about long-term side effects and interactions with other hormones, judicious use of other longevity products can indeed provide beneficial effects for many people. However, what is missing from most discussions on this topic is the primary importance of a properly functioning digestive system. All the cutting edge products in the world will you do you little good if your system is unable to properly assimilate them, not to mention the nutrients from your food that are vital to your very survival. The humble act of digestion is itself a primary key to a long and healthy life.

Traditional Chinese medicine teaches us that as much as ninety percent of all disease can be traced to digestive malfunction. The Chinese have been advocating this concept for 5,000 years, yet it has never found much acceptance in mainstream western medicine. However, Metabolic Typing does embody a similar principle in its admonition to eat the correct foods for your Metabolic Type. Our primary reference point, or baseline, is blood pH: when the blood pH is optimized, the body is able to perform its various metabolic functions much more effectively. Primary among these functions is the multi-phase process of digestion.

There are three basic supplements that I recommend to all my clients: a metabolically appropriate multi-vitamin (Formula I, II or III); essential fatty acids (usually in the form of Essential Balance Oil); and Kristazyme digestive enzymes, which I feel are essential for everyone over the age of 35, or anyone of any age with digestive issues. Taking one Kristazyme at the beginning of each meal will greatly help both the stomach and small intestines to properly break down the macro- and micro-nutrients in our food, so that our bodies can derive the full nutritional benefit offered by our food.

We may never be able to completely stop the aging process, but we can slow it down. Our body requires about 60 different nutrients to function properly. These include amino acids (the building blocks of protein), fatty acids (the building blocks of dietary fats), carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. If these nutrients do not successfully cross the intestinal lining into the bloodstream, we are short-changing ourselves and compromising the integrity of all of our physiological systems.

It is widely observed that, as we age, we produce less stomach acid (hydrochloric acid). Stomach acid is essential to create the right pH in the stomach, without which we are unable to break down our foods (especially proteins) and properly utilize their nutritional content. For example, it is a well-established scientific fact that calcium and vitamin B12 cannot be properly assimilated unless they have been adequately acidified in the stomach. It does not matter how much comes in through the mouth if it is not properly processed in the stomach. Digestive problems tend to increase exponentially with age, with heartburn, bloating, gas and constipation being foremost among them. Eating a poor quality diet only exacerbates the problem. No wonder that some of the best-selling medications and over-the-counter (OTC) products are antacids and other digestive aids. Unfortunately, these only mask the symptoms; they do nothing to address the underlying problem, and, in some cases, they may actually make it worse over time.

For over 100 years physicians would address most digestive problems by prescribing supplemental hydrochloric acid (HCl) and pepsin (a protein-digesting enzyme produced in the stomach). Although this strategy was often effective, these natural products cannot be patented, and so drug companies sought more lucrative products, leading to the development of antacids and acid blockers. Because these drugs can often provide symptomatic relief, the science was inverted to fit the pharmaceutical companies’ marketing agenda, so it now widely claimed that acid reflux and other digestive disorders are the result of too much, not too little stomach acid. While this is occasionally true, the much more common scenario is that declining stomach acid is the problem. Accordingly, the use of antacids and acid blockers only exacerbates the underlying problem, even while providing short-term relief (which 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in a little warm water can usually provide as effectively and more safely).

HCl supplementation can indeed be helpful, but, at least in some cases, it can make the stomach lazy over time, so that it comes to rely on the supplement, further reducing its own acid production. A breakthrough occurred in 1971 when Dr. Edwin Howell developed the first plant source digestive enzymes. These enzymes (such as the ones used in Kristazyme) operate in a wide pH range, both helping to directly break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the stomach, and assisting the stomach to achieve its desired acidity. When the food in the stomach is properly acidified, it is then released into the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine), where its acidity stimulates the release of digestive enzymes from the pancreas.

So, not only is stomach acid needed for the stomach itself to properly function, it also needed to stimulate the pancreas to release its own enzymes, which are crucial to complete the digestive process in the small intestine. Some of the plant enzymes themselves survive the stomach’s acid bath, and arrive intact in the small intestine to contribute their proteases, amylases, lipases and other enzymes to the next phase of the digestive process.

We can see how essential proper digestion is to the efficient functioning of the whole body. It allows for optimal absorption, assimilation and utilization of nutrients, providing the cells of the body with their required fuel and, along with the correct metabolic diet, helping to balance blood pH and optimize all metabolic processes. Efficient digestion, then, can be seen as perhaps the most important life extension aid of all.