Digestion is important because your body needs nutrients from food and drink to work properly and stay healthy. Your digestive system breaks nutrients into parts small enough for your body to absorb and use for energy, growth, and cell repair. Each part of your digestive system helps to move food and liquid through your GI tract, break food and liquid into smaller parts, or both. Once foods are broken into small enough parts, your body can absorb and move the nutrients to where they are needed.
However, digestive problems are common, including upset stomach, heartburn, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation. Aside from the physical discomfort these issues cause, if you have regular problems with digestion, there’s a good chance you’re not making optimal use of the nutrients in your foods or supplements. A range of supplements have been been studied and said to help with a variety of digestive complaints, include: