You may have low stomach acid if you suffer from one or more of the following:
- acid indigestion
- intolerance to certain foods (get gassy when eating certain foods)
- frequent belching, feeling full and feeling like the food just isn’t moving along after eating
- Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- H. pylori infection
- frequently take antacid drugs
- fingernails crack easily
- acne rosacea
- gum inflammation and receding gums (periodontitis)
- increased risk of heart attack
Millions of people suffer from the above and many are unaware that these could have this underlying cause: too little stomach acid… yes, too little, stomach acid production! Low stomach acid alone may not be the sole cause or the major cause of these problems. However, taking appropriate measures to restore proper stomach acid often results in significant improvement. You will not only feel better, but also improve nutrient flow to the rest of your body.
Stomach acid, which is also called hydrochloric acid or HCL, is necessary for many bodily functions. Low stomach acid is the condition where the stomach produces an inadequate amount of HCL. This condition is also called hypochlorhydria. Millions of people erroneously try to suppress HCL production by taking antacids. This is a common error made by people who decide to take antacids on their own, or doctors who prescribe them to people. This error has many dangerous implications for many systems of the human body.
I’ll provide a lot of information in this article which will cover the following:
- Why HCL production in the stomach is so important
- How it affects so many seemingly unrelated symptoms
- Why restoring proper stomach acid production is an important component for preventing some major health problems (included in the list above)
I’ll use a question and answer format so you can skip to the information you’re interested in.
Who is at high risk for low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria)?
Everyone knows that as we age, our body functions don’t work as well as as when we were younger. Those over 50 years old are at high risk for low stomach acid. It is estimated that about 75% of those over 60 have low stomach acid.
Those with allergies, asthma, and gallstones are also at increased risk for low stomach acid. Most chronic illnesses result in low stomach acid. In fact, in a recent study, the hydrochloric acid levels of “healthy” college students’ were measured, before and after getting the flu and periodically thereafter. The study showed that it took an average of 2 months for their HCL levels to return to their pre-flu levels.
How is low stomach acid diagnosed or identified?
The gold standard for determining low stomach acid is the Heidelberg test. This test has the patient swallow a tiny capsule, that contains a microtransmitter that measures the baseline pH (acid/alkaline level) of the stomach. The lower the pH, the more acidic. Next, the patient drinks a baking soda solution, and the transmitter measures the drop in acidity. The pH is recorded long enough to see how soon the stomach acid recovers to high acid levels.
There are comparison studies that compared symptoms of low stomach acid and blood tests with Heidelberg test measurements. The findings showed that symptoms of low stomach acid were often more important than Heidlelberg measurements in determining the need for HCL. The symptoms are:
- loss of appetite for high protein foods
- “acid stomach” relieved by eating
- bad breath and body odor
- gas shortly after eating
- indigestion 30 minutes to an hour after eating that lasts up to 4 hours,
- frequent visible undigested food in the stools
- difficulty digesting fruits or vegetables
- acid and spicy foods cause stomach upset
Jonathan Wright, MD, a pioneer in natural health care, has tested thousands of patients with the Heidelberg test. He has noted the following additional symptoms:
- slow hair growth
- chipping or cracking fingernails
- leg cramping
- nutrient deficiencies of folic acid, B6, B12, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc
The stomach mixes food with HCL to break up large