Understanding Your Stomach, Your Intestines, and the Nutrients That Support Them
Reflux, heartburn, difficult digestion, discomfort after meals… Let’s understand what happens in our digestive system.
Our digestive system is extraordinary. Every day, it breaks down the food we eat, allows for the absorption of nutrients, and helps perform many essential functions in our body.
But when digestion becomes uncomfortable, our quality of life can quickly be affected.
There are several ways to better support our digestive system, starting with a better understanding of the role of stomach acid, the intestinal lining, and certain nutrients and plants studied for their properties.
Stomach Acid: Essential for Digestion
We tend to associate stomach acid with something negative. Yet, the acid naturally produced by our stomach plays a fundamental role.
It helps digest proteins, release certain nutrients found in food, and protect against several ingested microorganisms.
Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when the contents of the stomach flow back into the esophagus. This does not necessarily mean that the stomach produces too much acid.
Antireflux medications, particularly proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), reduce the production of stomach acid. They are effective and sometimes essential treatments.
However, their prolonged use warrants special attention.
Antireflux Medications and Vitamin B12: A Little-Known Connection
Did you know that our stomach helps us absorb vitamin B12?
This vitamin is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system, the formation of red blood cells, and the synthesis of DNA. In fact, vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms include anemia (with associated fatigue and weakness), as well as neurological problems affecting memory, attention, mood, and even balance.
In foods of animal origin, vitamin B12 is bound to proteins. Stomach acid and digestive enzymes help release it so that it can then be absorbed further down the digestive system.
By reducing acid production, some medications may reduce the amount of B12 released from food.
Observational studies have shown an association between the prolonged use of medications that reduce stomach acid and an increased risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.
This does not mean that everyone taking these medications will develop a deficiency, nor that you should stop a prescribed treatment.
However, it may be worth discussing with a healthcare professional, especially if you experience unexplained fatigue, tingling, anemia, or other risk factors.
This is a good example of the importance of understanding our physiology rather than viewing stomach acid solely as a problem.
Pain Medications and Stomach Hyperacidity
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include acetylsalicylic acid, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen, are used to manage pain (headaches, muscle or joint pain), inflammation, and fever.
Unfortunately, these medications reduce the production of the mucus that protects our stomach cells from the highly acidic environment within the stomach.
As a result, their use can cause heartburn, not because the stomach produces more acid, but because it is less protected from that acid.
Thus, their prolonged use increases the risk of ulcers and sometimes leads to the use of PPIs, with the limitations and drawbacks discussed above.
The Intestinal Lining: A Living, Renewing Barrier
Our intestine is lined with a mucous membrane composed mainly of specialized cells called enterocytes.
These cells help absorb nutrients and form a barrier that controls the exchange between the intestinal contents and our body.
This barrier is dynamic. Its cells are constantly renewed and depend on many nutrients to function properly.
Among them, one amino acid has attracted particular attention from researchers: glutamine.
Glutamine: What Science Tells Us
L-glutamine is an amino acid naturally present in our body and in several high-protein foods.
It is particularly interesting because it is an important energy source for intestinal cells.
Scientific research is studying its role in:
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The metabolism and renewal of intestinal cells.
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Maintaining the tight junctions between these cells.
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The integrity of the intestinal barrier.
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Certain mechanisms of mucous membrane recovery.
A clinical study published in the journal Gut in 2018 evaluated glutamine supplementation in people with postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome, accompanied by diarrhea and increased intestinal permeability.
Researchers observed a significant improvement in several parameters, particularly intestinal permeability, among participants who received glutamine.
However, a meta-analysis published in 2024 yielded more nuanced results: the overall effects were not statistically significant, although some subgroups showed encouraging results.
Glutamine therefore plays an important biological role in intestinal function, but current data do not allow us to say that supplementation systematically repairs the intestinal wall.
Maison Jacynthe L-glutamine provides 9 g per serving. Its approved uses include the recovery of muscle cells after physical exercise and the restoration of blood glutamine levels that are reduced during certain periods of physical stress (which may include trauma or infection).
Research on intestinal health is a scientific field distinct from these approved indications.
Licorice: A Root Traditionally Used for the Stomach
Licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra, has a long history of use in herbal medicine.
Its root contains various plant compounds, including saponins, such as glycyrrhizin, and flavonoids.
Maison Jacynthe Licorice is approved for its traditional use in herbal medicine to help relieve inflammatory conditions of the digestive tract, such as adult gastritis.
This is a particularly interesting indication when you are interested in plants traditionally used for stomach comfort.
However, licorice containing glycyrrhizin is contraindicated in cases of high blood pressure, hypokalemia, certain heart, kidney, or liver diseases, during pregnancy, and with certain medications.
It is essential to follow the precautions and directions for use listed on the product.
Aloe Juice: A Plant for Gastrointestinal Comfort
Aloe, Aloe vera, is a plant whose leaves contain a gel rich in water and various polysaccharides.
It is important to distinguish the inner gel of the leaf from aloe latex, which contains laxative substances and has a different safety profile.
Maison Jacynthe Aloe Juice is made from organic aloe leaf gel (not from rehydrated powder).
According to the indication listed on its product sheet, it is used as an emollient to help relieve irritation and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
It thus represents another plant-based approach to digestive comfort.
However, this indication does not mean that aloe juice treats all causes of reflux, gastritis, or intestinal disorders.
As with any preparation intended for consumption, its composition, dosage, and precautions for use must be followed.
Metabzen: Also Focus on Nutrient Metabolism
Good digestion is not limited to the work of the stomach and intestines.
Our body must also transform, use, and metabolize the nutrients we provide it.
The liver plays a central role in these processes.
Metabzen by Maison Jacynthe combines several ingredients, including milk thistle, a source of silymarin, American ginseng, cultivated black cumin, turmeric, vitamin E, chromium, and vitamin D.
This botanical and nutritional combination is part of an approach to supporting metabolic functions.
Among the indications listed on its product sheet, Metabzen:
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Helps maintain the body's ability to metabolize nutrients.
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Helps support liver function.
However, it is not a treatment for reflux, gastritis, or digestive difficulties.
VitalCâlin: A Natural Source of Digestive Enzymes
Sometimes you may have difficulty digesting, especially after rich and heavy meals.
VitalCâlin is an organic arborio rice product fermented using the microfungi Aspergillus oryzae, also known as Koji, a ferment used to make vegan yogurts and cheeses.
This produces a powder that is very rich in digestive enzymes (amylases for sugars, lipases for fats, and proteases for proteins).
A natural and pleasant way to give your digestion a little boost when needed.
Daily Habits That Can Make a Difference
Even before considering supplements, several habits can contribute to digestive comfort.
Taking the time to eat, chewing thoroughly, choosing meals suited to your tolerance, and avoiding lying down immediately after eating can help.
If you have reflux, allowing two to three hours to pass between your last meal and bedtime can also be beneficial.
It is also useful to pay attention to your individual reactions. Certain foods, certain beverages, and stress can worsen symptoms in some people, without necessarily affecting everyone in the same way.
Finally, a varied diet that is sufficiently rich in fiber and suited to your tolerance helps the intestine function properly.
Taking Care of Your Digestion Means Taking Care of Yourself
Our digestive system is a fascinating world where enzymes, nutrients, intestinal cells, the microbiota, and many regulatory mechanisms are involved.
Understanding how it works allows you to make more informed choices.
Research on glutamine reminds us of the importance of intestinal cell metabolism. Licorice and aloe illustrate the usefulness of certain plants in traditional uses related to gastrointestinal comfort. And studying nutrients allows us to better understand the role of the stomach, the intestine, and the liver.
Because good digestion also contributes to the pleasure of eating, our comfort, and our quality of life.
Persistent symptoms, difficulty swallowing, digestive bleeding, or unexplained weight loss require a medical evaluation. Natural health products are not a substitute for prescribed treatments.
Reviewed by Pierre Haddad, PhD and scientific researcher
Scientific References
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Vitamin B12 and medications that reduce stomach acid
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. -
Glutamine and intestinal permeability, 2018 clinical study
Journal Gut. -
Glutamine and intestinal permeability, 2024 meta-analysis
Journal Amino Acids. -
Glutamine and the regulation of intestinal permeability, 2017 scientific review
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Licorice: properties and precautions
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
