So, I was doing some homework reading from a functional approach to clinical nutrition textbook and the subject was about digestion. Now, a couple of things really caught my attention about digestion in the stomach and I thought I'd share those discoveries :D
There's a condition called hypochlorhydria which is when there's not enough gastric acid being secreted by the stomach walls. This is a condition that is oftentimes overlooked by medical professionals and could be a underlying factor in many digestive and full body issues. Full body, you say? Yes - read on.
Considering the typical diet of the majority of the U.S. (high fat, excess calories, animal-based), the expectation would be that this condition would not be as typical as it is especially since eating a lot of high-fat foods at one meal normally encourages oversecretion of gastric acid. So why is it a lot more prevalent than expected?
Well, there's a little story that starts back in the 1970s when some researchers discovered H2 histamine receptor sites in the nervous system as the "managers" of gastric acid secretion. Then, by the miracle of medical technology, the (then) prescription medicines Tagamet and Zantac were developed and showered upon the world to ease the symptoms of indigestion, etc. Since the 70s, those two blockers have become even more readily available as over-the-counter medications. There are now others that have reached the prescription and OTC market, including proton pump inhibitors (aka PPIs or as some of you would recognize better - Prilosec, Prevacid, etc.). People have increased the use of these blockers since the 70s as our foods have also changed. The consumption of fatty foods and meats have risen as well as the amounts of processed and sugary foods. These increase gastric acid secretion, cause problems like chronic acid reflux or heartburn, and so people take H2 blockers or PPIs to help with the problem. So, guess what happens?? Go on, really...guess...
The answer is: instead of changing their diet to change the gastric acid production they've added a drug that decreases that gastric acid production. Decreasing the stomach digestive acid is now another problem called hypochlorhydria.
Ah, and remember in the beginning of this post I said that this condition may be an underlying factor in digestive and other full body issues? Well, here's the full body association. There is research suggesting that this condition (hypochlorhydria) may influence the development of the following:
- Food allergies
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Acne rosacea
- Asthma
Yes, certain types of hypochlorhydria involve stomach lining cell antibodies that have distinct autoimmune components causing some of the "on-the-rise" issues above. (I really don't remember EVER meeting a kid when I was growing up that had a nut allergy, do you?)
But, wait! That's not all! This condition can also affect the rest of the GI tract and digestion because it changes the pH values which allows for bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. Which goes on to affect and compromise nutrient digestion and absorption like that of the very important B-vitamins, iron, and calcium.
Yeah, in the long run, isn't it just better to find a doctor & a dietitian who will work with you to find what is causing your indigestion symptoms by removing foods and adding them back in slowly to find the trigger food than just taking the "fast and easy" road of popping a pill that may in fact cause your body even more harm? Well, I think so, at least.
If you're curious about the common signs and symptoms of low gastric activity:
- Bloating, belching, burning, & flatulence immediately after meals
- Chronic candidal infections (aka yeast infections)
- Chronic intestinal parasites or abnormal flora
- Dilated capillaries in the cheeks & nose (in non-alcoholics)
- Indigestion, diarrhea, or constipation (chronic)
- Iron deficiency
- Multiple food allergies
- Nausea after taking supplements
- Post-adolescent acne
- Sense of "fullness" after eating (unless you have overeaten for real)
- Undigested food in stool
- Weak, peeling, & cracked fingernails
If you have a few of these, you may want to talk to your doctor about checking for low gastric activity.
As for all the diseases they have associated (not hard linked but associated) with low gastric activity:
Acne rosacea
Addison's disease
Asthma
Celiac disease
Chronic auto-immune disorders
Chronic urticaria
Dermatitis herpetiformis
Diabetes mellitus
Eczema
Gallbladder disease
Graves disease
Hepatitis
Hyper- & hypothyroidism
Lupus erythematosus
Myasthenia gravis
Osteoporosis
Pernicious anemia
Psoriasis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sjogren's syndrome
Thyrotoxicosis
Vitiligo
If you have any of these and your doctor hasn't looked at low gastric acidity as an underlying cause, you may want to discuss the possibility with them because it is your body and there are many things you can do to reverse the acidity issue and bring it back to normal.
The body is always healing itself and I believe we can help it or deter it by the food we feed it.
If you have questions or comments, please leave them below and I will try to answer them as soon as I can...Eat Well to be Well!
All information on this blog is my own pursuit of information on the road to getting my BS in Nutrition Science and as a mode of studying.
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