Digestive issues can cause symptoms of heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal cramping. You can try taking over-the-counter medications for short-term relief. However, if your symptoms keep coming back, you may need other treatments. Surgery may be a treatment option, but getting more vitamins for stomach health by changing your diet or taking supplements could resolve the issue without surgery.
What Are Examples of Important Vitamins for Stomach Health?
Having a problem with your digestive health puts you at risk for deficiencies of certain vitamins. Vitamin A is one example. It helps with the health of your bones and reproductive system and gives your vision a boost. Another example is vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium. People with Crohn’s disease, for example, are more likely to have deficiencies of these vitamins and may need to either increase their intake through food or take supplements.
There are also vitamins that are necessary for digestion. Many of these are water-soluble, meaning that your body can’t store them for later. This means that you have to keep replacing them through diet.
1. Vitamin C
There are 100 million nerve cells in the gastrointestinal tract called the enteric nervous system. The ENS has a direct connection to the brain via the gut-brain axis. Vitamin C helps enhance communication between the gut and the brain by increasing the production of certain chemicals. This is only one of the reasons why it is one of the most important vitamins for stomach health.
Contrary to what you may think, the process of digestion doesn’t start in the stomach. It begins in the mouth as you chew your food, cutting it into smaller pieces and mixing it with saliva to start breaking it down. Vitamin C helps support healthy teeth and gums.
Many people with digestive problems develop an iron deficiency. Supplementing with iron can cause constipation, further complicating an existing issue. Another function of vitamin C is to help your body absorb iron from the food you eat.
2. Biotin
Biotin is one of a group of B vitamins that play a role in digestion. Specifically, biotin helps turn food into energy. Like most other B vitamins for stomach health, biotin is water soluble.
3. Niacin
Another name for niacin is vitamin B3. It helps to break down the fats and carbohydrates that you eat, as well as any alcohol that you consume. Pellagra is a condition resulting from niacin deficiency that can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting.
4. Thiamine
Once niacin breaks down the carbohydrates that you eat, you also need thiamine to convert them into energy that your cells can use. Also known as vitamin B1, thiamine helps with appetite regulation as well.
5. Pyridoxine
As thiamine helps your body break down carbohydrates, so does pyridoxine, which helps your body process the protein that you eat, converting it into a usable form. Another name for pyridoxine is vitamin B6.
What Foods Should You Eat To Get These Vitamins?
Vitamins occur naturally in certain foods. You can usually get most, if not all, of the vitamins for stomach health that you need from eating a healthy, well-balanced diet.
For example, vitamin C occurs naturally in many vegetables and fruits:
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Citrus fruits
- Peppers
- Berries
If you have digestive complaints of bloating or gas, you may want to avoid eating fruits that are high in fructose, a type of sugar. Bananas, citrus fruits, and berries, including grapes, are all examples of low-fructose fruits. High-fructose fruits include pears and apples, as well as mango.
Beans and leafy greens are examples of foods that are rich in B vitamins. Other B-vitamin-rich foods include dairy products, poultry, meat, and fish. Red meat is high in fat, which can trigger colon contractions and may increase the risk of clogged arteries, so it is better to stick to lean meats.
Additionally, some people cannot digest lactose, a type of sugar found in milk. If you are lactose intolerant, you may have to avoid dairy products, though there are some lactose-free products available.
Should You Take Vitamins for Stomach Health as Supplements?
Most doctors recommend that you first try to increase your vitamin intake by making changes to your diet. If this is successful, you should not have any need for vitamin supplements.
Nevertheless, you may have underlying health concerns that make it difficult, if not impossible, to make the necessary changes to your diet that would increase your vitamin intake. Or, maybe you have made dietary changes, and your vitamin levels are still low. In situations such as these, your doctor may recommend that you try vitamin supplements and could even prescribe vitamins for stomach health for you to take.
It is important that you not try any supplements for your digestive health without talking to your doctor first. The FDA generally does not regulate dietary supplements. What is advertised on the package may not be what is in the bottle. The product may contain vitamins but in amounts that are too small to do much good or amounts so large that they are actually harmful. Dietary supplements can also contain other toxic ingredients not listed on the packaging.
Not all supplements are dangerous, but before taking a supplement, you should always make sure it is safe by checking with your doctor first.
Are Probiotics the Same as Vitamins for Stomach Health?
Probiotics are not vitamins, but they may help improve the health of your digestive tract. The gut is a microbiome populated with helpful micro-organisms that aid in the digestive process. Probiotics are live bacteria that help break down foods that are otherwise difficult to digest.
Probiotics occur naturally in foods such as sauerkraut and yogurt. As with vitamins, you can also take probiotics as supplements, but check with a doctor first.
What if Vitamins for Stomach Health Don’t Help Your Symptoms?
If you have been getting more vitamins for stomach health and your symptoms persist, it may be time to explore more aggressive treatment options, such as surgery. Contact Arizona Premier Surgery for an initial evaluation. We will assess your condition to determine whether you are a good candidate for surgery.
Sources:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/digestive-health/essential-vitamins-for-digestive-health.aspx
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/ss/slideshow-digestive-health
https://www.forbes.com/health/supplements/supplements-vitamins-for-gut-health/
https://www.forbes.com/health/nutrition/nutrition-mind-gut-connection/
https://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/digestive-health/best-supplements-vitamins-for-gut-health/
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-foods-to-improve-your-digestion
https://www.everlywell.com/blog/vitamins-supplements/vitamins-for-digestion/
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(22)00241-2/fulltext