10.4: Age Changes versus Other Changes

Like the respiratory system, many parts of the digestive system are in more or less direct contact with substances and conditions from the external environment. Examples include a wide variety of foods prepared and eaten in diverse forms, physical trauma, dangerous chemicals, extreme temperatures, high internal pressures, and unusual and noxious substances in unregulated concentrations. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish age changes from changes produced by regularly ingested materials. However, certain changes are observed in the digestive systems of essentially all people in the United States. These changes will be presented as age changes. Alterations in the digestive system that occur in only some people and alterations believed to be caused by dietary factors or factors besides aging will be identified where possible. Many of these alterations are discussed in the sections on abnormal changes. (Suggestion 210.01.01)

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