How Old Is Your Digestive Tract?
You’re just as young as you feel--but how old is your GI tract? You know time is starting to catch up with you if you sit down to a bowl of Texas chili or a spicy Sichuan dish and find yourself wondering whether you’re going to pay a price for it later.
As we get on in years, it makes sense to take into account the regions of our body. The gastrointestinal tract (from mouth on down through the stomach and intestines) is charged with such critical physiological functions as food intake, digestion, absorption, excretion and disposal of toxic substances. All of us age differently, but all aging GI tracts have elements in common, some tied to the general process of aging itself.
For instance, connective tissues grow smaller, thinner or less resilient. The immune system weakens, and the body produces fewer antibodies to foreign substances but more to its own secretions. Environmental assaults such as smoking, alcohol, long-term poor nutrition and overdoses of medication contribute to the erosion.
When it comes to the gastrointestinal tract, let’s begin where the food begins, in the mouth. Contrary to what you might have heard, neither saliva nor taste buds appear to decline with age. But ease of swallowing may be slightly affected. Within the stomach, gastric-acid secretion does decrease as we grow old. This cutback is linked to a rise in stomach conditions ranging from mild gastritis to gastric atrophy. In the last 20 years, the incidence of peptic or gastric (stomach) ulcers has fallen in every group except the elderly.
Often there are no symptoms until hemorrhaging shows up as blood in the stool or vomit, or the ulcer perforates the stomach wall. One controversial suspect is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs taken for arthritis and other chronic pain. At least 25% of upper GI bleeding in elderly patients is associated with use of these drugs, and the corresponding mortality rate is 10% or higher.
Another possible culprit is a supposedly benign intestinal bacterium called Helicobacter pylori, the prevalence of which rises with age. It has been isolated in the stomachs of 80% of elderly patients and is strongly correlated with the appearance of gastric ulcers. But before we can understand what to do about the presence of these bacteria, more research is needed.
Farther down the aging gastrointestinal tract lie other hazards. Gallstones, predominantly cholesterol stones, are more prevalent in women than in men. The liver, which serves as a clearinghouse for drugs and other potentially toxic substances, shows the wear and tear of time by working less efficiently. In addition, since the immune system runs less smoothly, liver infections such as hepatitis B can be more serious and prolonged than in younger people. Nevertheless, physicians treating elderly people need to exercise caution in drug dosages.
Obviously, we can’t turn back time, and there’s no way to prevent all these conditions. But through certain habitual precautions we can prevent some and delay others. Step one is a good diet and vigorous, regular exercise. High-calorie nutrients such as the simple sugars should take a back seat to cereals, grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat meats and dairy products. This healthy diet is also rich in fiber, which promotes bowel regularity. Regular physical exercise also encourages regularity, as well as exerting other protective influences.
Step two is to monitor intake of drugs. If you’re one of those people who tends to collect a mini-pharmacy, throw out everything but current prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs recommended by a doctor. Take prescription drugs only as long as directed and other drugs only when absolutely necessary.
The third and final measure is to have regular checkups that help catch problems while still minor. Don’t be shy in telling a doctor about mild physical changes that may be signposts for other conditions. And visit a dentist regularly too. Sound teeth are important to healthy eating, and the oral cavity is a sensitive guide to what’s happening elsewhere in the body.
Just as a highway that’s been neglected for years will make for dangerous driving, so the GI tract will suffer from lack of upkeep. Do yourself a favor now and avoid problems down the road. If we must age, let us also grow wise--and use the wisdom to maintain good health.
