What intestinal gas can tell us about our gastrointestinal health

Food, from the moment it’s in the mouth until it’s excreted as poop, goes through digestion—and this process is a wild journey. Food containing carbohydrates, proteins, or lipids is chewed into a mush in the mouth, where some degree of starch and lipid digestion occurs before it is swallowed. In the stomach, the swallowed ‘ball’ of chewed food is continuously ground and churned until the food particles are small enough to enter the small intestine. Simultaneously, hydrochloric acid (HCl) and pepsin (an enzyme) in the stomach break down complex proteins in the food.

The food, now in a semi-liquid form, reaches the digestive enzyme-rich small intestine, where its fate is sealed for major chemical digestion before being converted into absorbable nutrients. Enzymes in the small intestine break down the partially digested macronutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids—into smaller molecules that can be absorbed into the bloodstream, along with vitamins and minerals.