Vitamins, Minerals and your Digestive System Guide

It is through the digestive system the body is able to make use of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are consumed. The digestive system breaks down the material until it is in a form that can of use on the cellular level. There are several vitamins and minerals that directly affect the quality and efficiency of the process of digestion. Making sure to achieve the standard recommended daily intake levels of these nutrients will help to ensure that your body is able to make the best use of the foods consumed.

The digestive process begins in the mouth, with the saliva and the teeth. Healthy teeth are essential to proper chewing, which breaks the food down so that it can pass through the esophagus, but also puts it into a form in which the enzymes can start their work. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, Vitamin D and Vitamin C are essential to the health of the teeth, as their very structure depends on these vitamins and minerals. Calcium and phosphorus are the primary building blocks of the teeth, with Vitamin D serving to enhance calcium absorption by the body and magnesium and Vitamin C being necessary to the processes by which those substances come together to form the structure of the teeth.

As with all of the important body functions and systems, the powerful vitamins that form the Vitamin B complex have a significant role in the digestive system. Thiamin, or Vitamin B1, serves to help the body have a good appetite, and also keeps the nerves in good working order. Nerves, the communicators of the body, are important to the process of digestion, as much of it is the result of involuntary movements that are regulated in part by the nervous system. Niacin, or B3, is necessary for the health of the digestive tract, serving, in addition to the general health and functioning of the digestive tract, to keep its surfaces healthy. Niacin also helps to keep the tongue in good health, able to perform its role in the digestive process efficiently. Vitamin B9, also called by the names folate, folic acid and folacin, is also important to the maintenance of the gastrointestinal tract. The bacteria in the digestive tract help to produce Vitamin K, essential to the blood's ability to clot.

There are many minerals that serve as cofactors to the enzymes that break down food, meaning that without those minerals the enzymes would be incomplete and digestion poor. Manganese is just one of the minerals that serves this purpose, not only serving as a cofactor in the enzyme processes that break down food, but also in those that allow the body to utilize it. Chromium is a mineral that helps to regulate appetite, important for food intake.

There are many digestive disruptions that can be traced back to poor nutrition. Meeting the standard recommended daily intake levels of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that your body needs is a good way to avoid inefficient and incomplete digestion. Nutritional supplements can offer a safe and effective means of meeting your dietary needs and health goals.