Ingredients for Gastrointestinal Health

While some progress has been made in reversing the generations-long trend of not eating enough fiber, the lack of a healthful balance of beneficial microflora continues to be an issue for most Americans. The failure to fully recognize the need for a healthy diet to include support of a healthy digestive system brought processors to the importance of gut health decades later than in Europe and Asia. But, they have since demonstrated a powerful ambition to catch up.



According to the National Digestive Diseases Infor-mation Clearinghouse, 60-70 million Americans struggle with gastrointestinal distress, digestive diseases or conditions that affect the digestive system. These con-ditions can include anything from constipation, heartburn and hemorrhoids to irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, gallstones, ulcers and inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn’s.

A combination of global influences from more “body-aware” cultures and increased nutritional education and areness has brought to the forefront the importance of digestive health to overall health and immunity.

A wealth of scientific research on ingredients for digestive health exists and continues to propel the targeted health and wellness foods industry with more gusto than ever. In fact, digestive health ranks as the op trend in the health and nutrition segment for the fourth consecutive year.

The demand for “better” digestive health is further driven by contemporary lifestyle choices that include limited physical activity and the increased prevalence of stress, alcohol, antibiotics and numerous over-the-counter medications. (Some of these, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs found in common pain relievers, further contribute to the deterioration of the gastrointestinal lining). This confluence is an open invitation to the food industry for products that condition the GI tract and help restore regularity and immunity for optimal health and performance.