As we age, our bodies start to change — including our ability to digest what we eat. Medications, a sedentary lifestyle, and even tooth decay and gum disease take a toll on healthy eating and healthy digestion.
When your digestion isn’t functioning properly, it can contribute to a host of health troubles. They may be issues directly related to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, such as constipation, diverticulitis, and ulcers, or fatigue, skin irritation, migraines, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, thyroid issues, type 1 diabetes, and depression, according to Cleveland Clinic
“As we age, so much of our health is all about the plumbing and how to keep it moving and performing as it should,” says Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD, the chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Arizona in Tucson. “Your gut is about 30 feet of muscle, and it can get weaker and not function the same way it did when you were younger. But there are things you can do to keep your GI tract in better condition.” Here are seven ways to improve digestion as you age and keep your digestive tract running smoothly.
1. Stay Hydrated
Constipation becomes more common as we grow older. In fact, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) estimates that about one-third of older adults have occasional symptoms of constipation. Water and other fluids keep things moving. Liquids and fiber make a healthy digestion combo by bulking up and softening stools so they pass more easily through the digestive tract.
“You have to pay more attention to drinking fluids when you’re older because your thirst mechanism decreases,” says Gena Wollenberg, RDN, PhD, a teaching associate professor of nutritional sciences at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Cleveland Clinic backs this up. For seniors, body composition changes as well, leaving them less hydrated than when they were younger.
How much should you be drinking? The National Council on Aging (NCA) advises drinking one-third your weight in ounces of fluid each day. For example, a person weighing 150 pounds would drink 50 ounces, which is about 1½ quarts.
For those who have trouble remembering to drink enough water, the NCA suggests eating more water-rich foods, such as cucumbers, watermelon, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes, and celery, and soups.
Keep in mind that alcohol and liquids with caffeine, such as tea and coffee, have the opposite effect and can dehydrate you if you consume too much of them.
Dr. Wollenberg says that as long as you don’t overdo it, coffee or tea shouldn’t be a problem. Also, caffeine can stimulate the bowels and ease constipation for some. A little alcohol is unlikely to dehydrate as well, although more and more research suggests that alcohol use at any level is harmful.
2. Watch What You Eat
Weight gain and digestive problems can occur in a vicious cycle, with some digestive problems causing weight gain, and extra pounds causing further gastric distress.
A review in the journal Gut and Liver from May 2017 highlighted a number of obesity-related digestive diseases, including gastroesophageal reflux disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The study authors concluded that overweight and obesity not only increased the risk of a wide spectrum of benign digestive diseases but also contributed to a greater risk of deadly cancers, such as cancers of the pancreas, colon, and esophagus.
An increase in abdominal pressure due to weight, for example, may impact both the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. In the upper GI, it can produce an increase in stomach acid and injure the esophagus, possibly leading to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), according to the Obesity Medicine Association.
“Extra weight can cause a mechanical issue, pushing on the abdomen, worsening the symptoms of acid reflux,” says Dr. Merchant.
Beyond digestive issues, obesity and overweight can lead to high cholesterol, insulin resistance, and high blood pressure — all factors that heighten the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Wollenberg advises people to watch portion sizes so they don’t overload and overtax their digestive tract. If you overeat and you’re less active than when you were younger, you can quickly pack on the extra pounds when you consume too much. Plus, overeating can trigger heartburn symptoms and indigestion.
“Instead of eating three big meals, try six smaller meals throughout the course of the day,” she recommends.
In addition to how much you eat, you need to make wise choices when it comes to what you eat.
Adults are advised to consume five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day for healthy digestion. In a large study published in the April 2021 issue of the journal Circulation, scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston looked at 30 years of medical data from more than 100,000 adults. They combined this information with an analysis of 26 related studies and found that people who ate an average of five servings of fruits and vegetables per day had a 13 percent lower risk of death than those who ate two servings per day.
American adults average one serving of fruit and 1.5 servings of vegetables per day, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
So reach for blueberries, strawberries, sweet potatoes, bananas, and plenty of leafy greens, and as a bonus, you’ll help keep constipation at bay, too.
Wollenberg recommends using the USDA’s MyPlate Plan to create a personalized healthy eating way that meets the calorie allowance for your age, sex, and height.
3. Load Up on Fiber
Fiber not only normalizes bowel movement and helps maintain bowel health, it also lowers cholesterol, helps control blood sugar levels, contributes to a healthy weight, and cuts the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Fiber has been shown to protect against diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and obesity. Findings published in the October 2022 Critical Reviews of Food Science and Nutrition suggest that fiber reduced appetite and lowered food intake.
Also known as roughage, fiber comes in two forms — soluble and insoluble. The insoluble kind is found in foods such as wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains. This type may ease constipation by adding bulk to the stool so food passes more easily through the stomach and intestines.
Soluble fiber (found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, and some fruits and vegetables) soaks up fluid and can lessen diarrhea.
“For constipation, fiber acts like a plunger — it swells up like a sponge, helping to push things through, versus diarrhea, which it helps by kind of mopping up the excess fluid,” says Merchant.
For a breakdown of fiber amounts in various foods, Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides a chart showing the number of grams in different fruits and vegetables.
Merchant recommends Metamucil as a fiber supplement for older adults who have constipation and regularly occurring problems with bowel movements. It is a natural dietary fiber made from psyllium husks, which come from plantago ovate (plantain plant) seeds. Before starting on Metamucil, she encourages consulting with your doctor to determine whether you’re getting enough roughage in your everyday diet; it’s always better to get your daily intake of fiber from food sources when possible. While it’s safe to take the supplement daily, definitely seek the advice of a healthcare provider if constipation continues after seven days.
A person can eat too much fiber. If you experience bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort, it may be time to cut back. Again, consult with a doctor to gauge how much fiber is right for you.
4. Be Active
One of the best habits for healthy digestion is activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults age 65 and older get at least 150 minutes a week (for example, 30 minutes a day, five days a week) of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking or dancing, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity such as hiking, jogging, biking, swimming, or running.
“When you’re moving, it keeps your gut moving as well,” says Merchant.
Strength training is also important for health as we age. The CDC suggests at least two days a week of activities that build muscle. Focusing on the core, with exercises such as sit-ups, leg lifts, abdominal twists, and crunches can bolster muscles that help food move through the digestive system.
Another result of regular activity is weight loss, which, as mentioned earlier, helps shed pounds and reduces digestive complications.
5. Relieve Stress
We all experience some level of stress across our life span. In the 2022 Stress in America survey from the American Psychological Association (APA), 27 percent of nearly 3,200 adults says that most days they are so stressed they cannot function. This excess stress can have an impact on our digestive systems.
The APA says that stress promotes activities that are damaging to the GI tract — such as overeating, drinking too much alcohol, and smoking. The stress can also fuel heartburn. The pressure may heighten stomach pain and trigger bloating and nausea. When under stress, a person may experience diarrhea or constipation.
While stress doesn’t directly cause indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome, it can contribute to these digestive issues. In a study published in 2023 in the Irish Journal of Medical Science, researchers looked at more than 1.2 million patients hospitalized with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) over a three-year period and found that more than 38 percent had anxiety, and more than 27 percent had depression.
Study authors add that anxiety and depression can be related to stress, which in turn affects the digestive system.
“I frequently tell my patients who have IBS, that if they have any type of psychological stress, it will get expressed in some form or the other,” said the senior author, Yezaz Ghouri, MD, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and gastroenterology at the University of Missouri in Columbia, in a statement, explaining that a state of nervousness can lead to IBS symptoms.
“Early evaluation and treatment of both IBS and associated psychiatric conditions is essential,” Dr. Ghouri said.
Two of the best ways to reduce indigestion and stress include regular exercise (which releases endorphins, the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters) — and relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation.
Published 2018 in the Lancet Psychiatry, a study of 1.2 million people in the United States conducted by Yale University researchers revealed that people who exercised reported 1.5 fewer days of poor mental health (stress, depression, and emotional problems) per month than people who did not exercise.
When it comes to yoga, research from that same year in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that depression, anxiety, and stress decreased significantly in women after 12 sessions of regular yoga practice. In the journal PLoS One, a small analysis of 19 IBS and 29 IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) patients demonstrated that a nine-week relaxation program alleviated symptoms of these two gut disorders.
A good night’s sleep can be a great stress-reliever, but when you’re stressed, sound sleep can be hard to achieve. The Sleep Foundation says that people experiencing chronic stress may spend less time in deep sleep, and have more disruptions during REM sleep.
6. Maintain Your Smile
Healthy digestion begins in the mouth, which is the entrance to your digestive tract, so it can be the door through which harmful bacteria pass.
A paper published in 2019 in the Journal of Oral Microbiology discussed how bacteria in the mouth spread through the body and have been linked with a number of diseases. The species of oral bacteria called P. gingivalis, for example, is thought to have a role in cancers of the mouth and digestive tract.
Enzymes in the mouth start the digestive process. When tooth decay begins, your body simply cannot process nutrients as well as it should.
Taking care of your teeth is important as you age because you rely on your teeth to chew your food well, and you need to chew your food well to break it down into small enough pieces to be absorbed by your digestive tract. Older people with poor teeth may have more indigestion because they can’t chew as well.
The Mayo Clinic says that daily brushing (at least twice a day for two minutes each time) and flossing keeps bacteria under control. They also encourage the use of mouthwash to remove food particles left after brushing and flossing.
Taking care of your oral health is an investment in your overall health, Mayo Clinic notes, adding that people should contact their dentist as soon as an oral health problem arises.
7. Talk to Your Doctor
You may find that, as you age, your stomach responds differently, and you can no longer eat spicy foods without getting heartburn and indigestion. If you make healthy lifestyle choices, such as watching your weight, exercising, and not smoking, your digestive system will serve you better through the years. But if you experience intestinal problems that persist (such as ongoing diarrhea and constipation, frequent or severe heartburn, unusual bloating, severe or sudden abdominal pain), be sure to talk to your doctor and seek treatment.
A discussion with your doctor may also reveal that certain medications could be influencing your digestion, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. These medications may include: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, heart medications such as nitrates and calcium channel blockers, oral antibiotics, and birth control pills.
Merchant especially warns about narcotics, which are known to promote bowel dysfunction, including constipation. “If you’re on narcotics, they often put you on stool softeners because they can block you up in a minute,” she says.
Wollenberg adds that it’s worth talking to your doctor about digestion anytime you go in for a visit. “At your annual checkup, always ask, ‘What are your tips for improving digestion?’”
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