Happy chewing

Oral cavity

Oesophagus Spleen

Liver Stomach

Gallbladder

Duodenum

Small intestine

Appendix

Vermiform appendix

Pancreas

Large intestine

A nutritional journey

Rectum

Eating involves the eyes and nose as well as our mouths – in fact, eating engages all of our senses. A beautifully presented dish can delight, while the flavour creates a moment of bliss, triggering pleasure in the brain. What normally happens to food as it travels further into the body is not something we particularly like to think about. However, in our interview, Dr Richard Kogelnig, Deputy Medical Director at Park Igls, Mayr Physician and GP, paints a vivid picture of food’s fascinating journey. Why would we want to know what happens to food when we eat it? Richard Kogelnig: Food intake is made up of several major components. From a biological point of view, it’s all about supplying energy and nutrients that are essential to the metabolism and the body’s cell and organ regeneration.

However, there are also aesthetic, psychosocial and emotional aspects to food. A beautifully presented dish is a pleasure. Additional stimulation of our olfactory sense – our sense of smell – promotes the production of digestive juices, even before a single bite has been taken. The psychosocial side of eating has holistic significance too: eating or preparing food in good company creates a sense of community, thereby promoting wellbeing.

LEARNING TO CHEW

Over a century ago, Dr FX Mayr already considered the art of chewing central to health. The way we chew plays a key role in the treatment of digestive problems and the associated consequences for the whole body. We recommend that each mouthful is chewed 20-30 times to improve digestion and promote satiety. Chewing properly helps us avoid overeating, thereby protecting the digestive tract and the metabolism from strain.

How important is chewing ‘properly’? Kogelnig: The mouth is a complex system that consists of different parts. The lips are highly sensitive to temperature and touch and assess the food’s physical characteristics, i.e. whether it is hot, cold, coarse, prickly etc. Our teeth play an important role by breaking down the food into smaller pieces. The better you chew, the more digestive enzymes are released in saliva, speeding up the food’s breakdown. Chewing kicks off the whole digestive process.

Thorough chewing allows us to really enjoy our food, but it is also extremely important for satiation. The feeling of satiety protects the stomach from overfilling and its consequences such as excess weight, belching, reflux, heartburn, bloating and other problems of the digestive tract.

What is saliva’s role? Kogelnig: Chewing causes the parotid glands to secrete saliva containing enzymes that start the digestion of carbohydrates. They do this by breaking them down into maltose and glucose while still in the mouth. Sublingual salivary glands, on the other hand, produce mucin which makes the food slippery and easier to swallow, allowing it to enter the stomach safely through the oesophagus.

What happens then? Kogelnig: Once a bite of food is swallowed and reaches the stomach, protein digestion begins: hydrochloric acid and the pepsin enzyme start to break down the protein structure. Stomach acid also provides an important barrier against germs and viruses. That’s why using antacids over the long term increases the risk of infection, putting our health in danger.

The soft mass of chewed food, or bolus, is moved in small portions into the duodenum by rhythmic movements of the pylorus, and is then pushed into the small intestine. This is where 90% of the digestion takes place. Pancreatic enzymes break down protein, fat and carbohydrates, so all the food is broken down into the tiniest constituents, which are then absorbed by the intestinal mucosa. These constituents are subsequently transported via the vascular system to the liver, which is the body’s chemical factory.

You have already indicated that digestion isn’t just about the mechanics: it’s also a highly complex chemical process. To what extent can our choice of foods have a positive effect on this process? Kogelnig: Fat digestion requires bile, which is produced by the liver and also detoxifies the body. The gut absorbs vital vitamins and trace elements from food, which are essential to allow our organs to perform all their complex tasks.

Indulging in gluttony, eating too much raw food – especially in the evenings – and excessive alcohol consumption, as well as taking medication such as pain killers, overloads this complex system. And overload triggers inflammation in the gut, which can affect all of our organs. This is where Modern Mayr Medicine steps in: changes in diet and behaviours lead to the gut’s recovery and regeneration, and thus to an upturn in health.

What digestive stages are most problematic or prone to malfunction? Kogelnig: The small intestine ends in the ileocaecal valve where it opens into the large intestine. This is where we find an exponential increase of bacteria, the microflora which are important for further metabolic processes and the immune system. This microbiome can be seriously compromised by medication, especially antibiotics, which means that it can take up to a year to restore health.

Another interesting aspect is that the large intestine absorbs most of the water and minerals to protect the body from dehydration and mineral loss.

How come people who have had their gallbladder or part of their stomach removed are still able to digest food? Kogelnig: People who’ve had their gallbladder or part of their stomach removed generally have to radically change their eating habits. You can live without your stomach and gallbladder, but only if you change your eating habits and behaviour to suit. As mentioned earlier, Modern Mayr Medicine is particularly helpful in these cases. Diagnosis and therapy are the basis for the prevention and treatment of illnesses, and especially lifestyle diseases. Dr Richard Kogelnig GP, psychologist, Mayr Physician and Deputy Medical Director

A SENSITIVE MULTITASKER

As well as being involved in the initial processing of food, the tongue checks its quality via taste receptors and the sense of smell. This helps us decide whether it is safe to eat or needs to be discarded. The tongue also helps to shape the chewed food so that we can swallow it without choking and it can safely travel down the oesophagus.

I should also mention that the tongue is key in our ability to speak and make sounds, and

is directly linked to the brain via cranial nerves.