Nutrient Absorption

Section 6
(Published June 3rd, 2024)

6.0 Generalities of Nutrient Absorption

Let’s begin with a few generalities of how our digestive-system works, prior to getting into specifics. While doing so, understand that much of the following text is due to interpreting what I’ve gleaned thus far, as the human GI tract is quite complex and its studies are continually ongoing.

Our digestive system has been evolving over quite a long sequence of generations. Through God’s creation/evolutionary process, the evolution of our digestive process began prior to even the human-race itself. It seems that our digestive-system’s evolutionary process began with the animal kingdom, and in particular... mammals; of which humans are a large part. Assuming that all human digestive-systems are quite similar in nature... they have to accommodate people of various gene pools, lifestyles, diets and climates.

Due to our modern industrialized society, foods are now traded around the world. Our GI tract has to be prepared to accommodate almost any food at any time. In generations gone by, and while we were restricted to eating mainly local foods; certain food groups were available during only particular months of the year. Currently, because of modern free-trade and refrigeration - this is no longer true.

Mix in the fact that many of our foods are not natural and are highly processed - our digestive systems have been forced to adapt rather quickly. Much of this adaptation occurs “on the fly” so to speak, and is accomplished by varying digestive enzymes and pH levels. In other words, our digestive system has the option to use certain naturally derived biological-additives (such as enzymes and microorganisms) and various control schemes, without having to change the genetic-structure of the GI-tract itself.

I surmise that certain diseases of the digestive tract, along with its accompanied enzyme-delivery-system (liver, pancreas, gallbladder), is due to the fact that our society is changing faster than our digestive system can adapt. Genetic adaptations often require a good number of generations, in order for a species to steer clear of a nagging biological hazard.

• 6.1 - Enterocytes
  

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