Malabsorption . . .

The old expression that you are what you eat is not true. You are what you absorb, a big difference. As a GI specialist, I was trained that malabsorption (a condition in which the body absorbs only a small portion of the ingested food) was a rare condition causing severe symptoms. In recent years I have observed this not to be true. Malabsorption or decreased absorption is quite common. It affects all ages but especially those over 65. There are often no specific GI symptoms, but the patient suffers from fatigue, muscle pain, headache, dizziness, and many other symptoms as a result of the nutritional deficiencies. Vitamin D is a great example of this. Originally thought to be important only in childhood bone growth, my office recognized its role in myalgia (muscle pain) and bone health over five years ago.

This year vitamin D deficiency is a hot popular medical topic especially in relation to cancer and heart disease. Older folks also suffer decreased absorption of many nutrients due to the ageing of gut, but also (1) the increased use of NSAIDS, causing stomach inflammation and (2) increased use of acid blockers which decrease the stomach acid production which in turn decreases the effectiveness of the digestive enzymes. This type of decreased absorption can occur even in those on a healthy diet and taking supplements. The increased incidence of Alzheimer has been clearly linked to nutritional deficiencies in the elderly and certainly relates to the malabsorption, in this age group.

Eating healthily is important. It does not, however, guarantee that the person is getting all of the optimum nutrition their body requires. Only specific nutritional testing can determine this.