| THIS MONTH: Diving and digestion |
| Every diver should be instructed on what to eat and when is the sifest time for diving
It is important for every diver to understand the effect of increased atmospheric preassure on the function of the digestive tract in order to know what to eat and what to avoid before diving.
The gastro intestinal tract performs several functions, such as motility, which propagates the food through the gut and the secretion of various enzimes to digest it. These G.I.T. secretions are released from various organs, such as the salivary glands, stomach, pancreas and the intestine. The release of these secretions is controled by the nervous and hormonal systems.
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LAST ARTICLES
• Diving and dehidration
• Diving and digestion
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Not all these glands are controlled by both systems; the salivary glands are controlled by the nervous system only, while some glands in the pancreas are controlled by the hormonal system alone. This variation in the control has a function related to the onset and the duration of the secretion. The nervous phase has a fast onset and short duration, while the hormonal has a slow onset and long duration. Thus, both systems function simultaneously to provide a fast start and a sustained secretive action.
The motility of the G.I.T. is responsible for mixing and the propagation of food, and is mainly controlled by the nervous system. Since the effect on secretion and motility is the main point to consider, studies were made to see the response of the gastro intestinal tract to increased ambient preassure.
It was found that an increase of preassure to "3 ATA" (3 bar absolute) resulted indecreased motility and secretive functions related to the nervous controlled organs. An increase above that in the surrounding preassure results in a further decrease in function, which continues into the "after exposure period" as well. The duration of decreased function as an after effect depends on both the preassure the diver is subjected to, and the lenght of exposure.
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This slowing down of G.I.T. functions leads to statis of food, which allows over fermentation in the gut and subsequent digestive problems. In addition to this, the G.I.T. is slow to digest fats and does not digest the cellulose, which forms most of the vegetable matter. So, we conclude that selection of food for divers should follow these basic guidlines:
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Food eaten should be easily digestible. Avoid food high in fats and raw vegetables.
- It should consist of high energy yield to compensate for subsequent losses and to aid the diver in maintaining proper body heat.
- Eat food of nutritional value.
The food that fulfill these requirements include:
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Carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, bread, sugar)
- Milk products such as yoghurt, cheese (but avoid butter and milk)
- Fruits low in fiber.
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The "after meal" time prior to the dive is as importand and necessary for a good dive as is the proper selection of food. This time varies with the depth and the duration of the proposed dive.
The diver should wait a minimum of half an hour, if the dive does not exceed 18 metres in depth (2.8 ATA) and a minimum of 2 hours, if the depth exceeds 20 metres (3 ATA).
So, please do take a little care with your diet and enjoy the pleasures of diving without digestive troubles. Then you can give all your attention to the pleasure of observing the underwater life...
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