Your digestive system is crucial for breaking down the food you eat into smaller components
to derive essential nutrients and energy. But if your digestive process is disrupted,
it may increase your risk of developing various health disorders and a sedentary lifestyle.
So how can your digestive system screw up its processes?
We got you covered! In today’s video, we’ll discover the vagus nerve's role in digestion
and what happens when you have low hydrochloric acid levels. Not to mention the deficiency that
could be behind your digestive issues, so watch till the end; let’s get started!
Before we get into this deficiency, you need to understand how your digestive system works!
Your digestive system consists of a long tubular structure called
the gastrointestinal tract that starts from the mouth and ends at the anus.
The stomach, small intestine, and large intestine are organs that make up the GI tract.
This passageway is connected to all major organs of your digestive system, such as the liver,
pancreas, and gallbladder. Together, all of them execute the process of digestion.
The role of your digestive system is to break down food into simpler forms and absorb essential
nutrients to use them for energy, growth, and cell repair. But what makes sure that
everything is working as it should? Nerves and hormones! Specifically, the vagus nerve.
But what does the vagus nerve have to do with digestion?
The vagus nerve influences body functions like mood perceptions, immune response, heart rate, and
digestion. The vagus nerve creates a pathway for communication between the brain and the digestive
system, allowing information to pass through your inner organs, like your gastrointestinal tract.
This helps keep the brain informed of the current state of your body.
Studies have shown that the vagus nerve plays a vital role in your gut-brain axis,
a bi-directional connection between your gut and brain.
Suppose you are under stress; in that case, your chances of having an upset stomach increases. This
happens because when the body is under stress, a “fight or flight” response is activated,
which can shift attention from the digestion system toward dealing with the stressor.
Less attention to gut function potentially leads to gastrointestinal symptoms.
Research shows that damage to the vagus nerve can easily trigger digestive problems.
Its malfunction could mess up information transfers regarding satiety levels, energy
production, and nutrient uptake. Signs of a vagus nerve impairment are gastrointestinal issues like
inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn’s disorder, abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, and fatigue.
It’s important to note that vitamin B1 deficiency also can cause significant disruptions to your
digestive system by harming your vagus nerve. Studies have shown that vitamin B1 plays a vital
role in synthesizing a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, an important signaling molecule
secreted by the neurons in the vagus nerve to pass on information from one neuron to another.
Vitamin B1 insufficiency is likely to create roadblocks in the transmission of information
and cause vagus nerve dysfunction, which can attract various digestive issues.
Now, let’s discuss what role stomach acid plays in digestion.
Hydrochloric acid, aka the stomach acid, is released naturally by the inner lining of
your stomach to optimize digestion and support the absorption of end
products like simple sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, and glycerol.
Stomach acid neutralizes harmful pathogens that might enter your body with food and cause food
poisoning. These foreign cells can also harm your gut-friendly bacteria and upset your stomach,
which is why it is important to wipe them out. The acidic medium also activates the
enzyme pepsin, which is required to break down protein molecules into amino acids.
This is why a proper balance of hydrochloric acid is crucial for your gut’s smooth functioning.
What happens when you have disproportionate amounts of stomach acid? If the acidic medium
is too low or too high, it could result in acid reflux or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).
GERD occurs when your sphincter muscles at the lower end of your food pipe relax
at the wrong time, causing stomach acid to climb back up to the esophagus. This
irritates the inner lining of the esophagus and causes heartburn.
Thiamine plays a significant role in regulating the gastric acid in your stomach.
Studies have shown that vitamin B1 deficiency can minimize the production of stomach acid, leading
to digestive problems. How? Well, the vagus nerve has something to do with it. The vagus nerve is
responsible for the secretion of hydrochloric acid. Since vitamin B1 is essential to keep the
vagus nerve active, it makes sense that vitamin B1 will also be a factor in acid production.
Now that we know vitamin B1 deficiency could be the leading cause behind most of your
digestive problems, we should cover: The signs of vitamin B1 deficiency
Symptoms of nutritional deficiencies are usually non-specific and mimic each other. However,
you should watch out for the following signs in case your B1 deficient:
1. Your appetite has taken a severe hit:
do you no longer feel hungry as you used to? Do you often feel full even after a very small
meal? If yes, then loss of appetite can be one of the earliest signs of thiamine insufficiency.
In such situations, you tend to eat fewer portions and sometimes even nothing,
which often leads to unintentional weight loss and other health repercussions.
2. You always feel worked up: low thiamine levels in the body can induce daytime fatigue,
which often comes with frequent yawns. A brisk walk to the nearby store, or a brief
stroll in the park, would be enough to drain you to the core if you have a vitamin B1 deficiency.
3. Get ready for random mood fluctuations:
vitamin B1 deficiency is often associated with increased irritability and bad mood. If you feel
overwhelmed by too many emotions, it's probably because of low thiamine reserves in your body.
4. You tend to experience “pins and needles”: A tingling sensation in the lower extremities
of your arms and feet is a hallmark sign of thiamine inadequacy. This condition is often
known as paresthesia, a common manifestation of Beri-Beri syndrome that marks the onset of severe
vitamin B1 deficiency. Thiamine deficiency causes nervous dysfunction that can create
gaps in information transmission, and as a result, we end up having this absurd feeling.
5. Your vision is blurred: vitamin B1 is an essential nutrient that supports the well-being
of your eyes, so if the world around you has seemingly gone foggy in recent times, this
might indicate that you are thiamine deficient. Studies have shown that severe and prolonged
thiamine inadequacy can damage your optic nerve and even result in complete vision loss.
6. You feel delusional: do you often forget trivial things? Have you started imagining
absurd scenarios in your head? If yes, then you might be short of thiamine reserves.
Vitamin B1 plays a vital role in your brain’s functioning, so its insufficiency can disrupt
your normal day-to-day activities and trigger a sharp cognitive decline.
Lack of awareness of surroundings, difficulty making minor decisions, confusion,
and trouble keeping up with a conversation can be some of its subtle manifestations.
7. You will likely experience sudden palpitations and chest pain:
irregular heartbeats, often accompanied by mild chest pain, can be another sign
of vitamin B1 inadequacy. You must report this symptom to your doctor immediately,
as ignoring them for a long time can push you one step closer to a heart attack.
How to deal with thiamine deficiency? Vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin
stored only in small amounts in the liver, so keeping its dietary intake in check is essential.
Start by making a few healthy amendments to your diet. Foods like fortified breakfast cereals,
pork, fish, beans, lentils, green peas, enriched bread, noodles, rice,
black beans, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, and yogurt can be good sources of thiamine.
You can also take vitamin B1 supplements, but consult your doctor first.
Besides treating thiamine deficiency, how else can we care for our gut?
1. Lower your stress levels with the help of yoga, meditation,
spending time with friends and family, and doing activities that soothe your mind.
2. Do not indulge in binge-watching at night, and take a good amount of peaceful sleep.
Not getting enough sleep only increases your stress levels and attracts health disorders.
3. Stay hydrated; after all, water is an essential factor that aids in digestion.
4. Consume more probiotics in your diet as they promote the growth of gut bacteria
and improve your gastrointestinal health. 5. Pick healthy and nutritious foods and
cut back on processed foods that contain high amounts of sugar, salt, and oils.
Try including more fiber in your diet, as your gut bacteria love feeding on them. Having fiber-rich
foods eases the food movement along your gastrointestinal tract and allows easy digestion.
Your digestive health is a strong pillar that sustains your overall well-being. Any harm to
it can trigger a significant setback to your body’s smooth functioning. So take care of
your gut and stay healthy! Want to know about other
vital organs of your body? Watch 6 Foods That Help Keep
Your Mind Young & Improve Brain Health Or 15 Early Warning Signs Of Heart
Disease You Should Lookout For Click one! Or better yet, watch
both. Which signs of thiamine deficiency did you notice? Let us know in the comments below!