 to work properly. Low vitamin B12 is associated with elevated blood cholesterol and homocysteine levels.
Gastrin is a hormone produced in the stomach that stimulates movement of food through the stomach. Chronic antacid use hinders both HCL and gastrin secretion, predisposing to low tissue amino acids. Since immunoglobulins are made from amino acids, low tissue amino acids impairs the immune system. Low tissue amino acids also causes muscle wasting, often seen in the aged or physically debilitated.
What is the connection between inadequate HCL production, receding gums and heart attacks?
Low stomach acid is associated with the development and progression of systemic inflammation and receeding gums, called periodontitis 2. Periodontitis is associated with increased incidence of heart attacks due to systemic inflammation 3 4.
What are antacids for? How long should I use them?
Antacids were only developed for, and are only supposed to be used for 8 weeks or less in most cases and 6 months at the maximum. The actual recommendation from the drug prescription instructions from the Physicians Desk Reference (PDR) for a common gastric medication:
Prilosec (Omeprazole) is prescribed for the short-term treatment of stomach ulcer, duodenal ulcer, erosive esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus), heartburn, and other symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
The usual dose for people with symptoms of GERD is 20 mg daily for up to 4 weeks. For erosive esophagitis accompanied by GERD symptoms, the usual dose is 20 mg day for 4 to 8 weeks. The dose may be continued to maintain healing.
Long-term use of Prilosec may cause severe stomach inflammation. Prilosec may mask the signs of stomach cancer.
Low stomach acid due to chronic acid suppression stimulates the chronic release of gastrin in the attempt to restore normal gastric acidity. This subsequently leads to chronically high gastrin levels that have been shown to induce cancerous tumors 7.
Prilosec OTC, an over-the-counter product, is approved only for frequent heartburn (occurring 2 or more days a week).
Note that the second recommendation contains the statement: “The dose may be continued to maintain healing”. Is a deficiency of Prilosec the cause of GERD? Not! Some may be led to believe that the drug maintains healing. In fact, it does not heal GERD in the first place. It only decreases the local conditions where the esophagus is no longer being irritated by stomach acid backing up into the lower espophagus which irritates the esophageal lining. This is a distinction that must be understood.
To heal erosive esophagitis, it would better to do so without decreasing HCL produced by the stomach. The details of how this is done using a Functional Medicine approach would require a whole article, so we’ll not go into that here. I plan to write and post a separate article about healing erosive esophagitis and the stomach lining here in my blog.
If you have low stomach acid and are prescribed supplemental HCL, how long do I have to take it? Can your stomach HCL production return to normal?
Betaine hydrochloride (Betaine HCL) is an acidic form of betaine, a vitamin-like substance found in grains and some foods. Betaine HCL with pepsin is used to increase the level of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. When taking Betaine HCL it should always be taken at the beginning or middle of a meal containing some protein. Often times, in patients in their 30′s and 40′s, taking supplemental betaine HCL can “jump-start” their stomach towards producing adequate HCL. Thus, they only have to use it for a short time. This can even occur in some of those over 50, if they tend to eat a good diet, exercise regularly, manage stress well, get adequate rest, etc. However, most don’t, so those over 50, often find great benefit in long term consistent use of supplemental betaine HCL with pepsin. The proper dose and correct timing in taking it with a meal make all the difference as to getting the most benefit without experiencing problems! This should be done under the guidance of a Functional Medicine 