The role of the digestive system is to digest and absorb nutrients taken in as food, and unless it does this efficiently, optimum health is unlikely, however good the diet is. Enzymes must first break down the food consumed, into its component molecules ready for absorption in the small intestine. The efficient break down of food is essential to release vital nutrients. These nutrients must then be absorbed through often quite complex biochemical processes, which transport the nutrient molecules across the gut wall.
If food is not digested properly it passes into the large bowel where it is fermented by bacteria causing wind and bloating.
