Book review: Why stomach acid is good for you
Contrary to what we’ve been led to believe, Drs. Jonathan Wright and Lane Lenard argue that indigestion has little to do with eating and drinking acidic foods and beverages, or lying down too soon after a meal. The biggest factor in indigestion, they say, is not too much stomach acid, but too little.
Sure, it makes sense that too much stomach acid would cause the discomfort we associate with indigestion, but to carefully overlooked facts are firstly that stomach acid is there cos it’s supposed to be and secondly, that the incidence of indigestion, GERD and heartburn increase with age while stomach acid declines (like much of our body’s resources); if too much stomach acid was causing these, teenagers would have more incidence and gramps less!
If this sounds ‘flipped on its head’ to what you’ve been lead to believe, it’s only because many of us are unfamiliar with the anatomy and physiology of our own digestive tracts. Stomach acid is not a nuisance there to punish us for enjoying pizza but plays vital roles in promoting digestion and absorption of nutrients and bacteria! But a quick primer on the digestive process reveals that rather than making our stomachs less acidic, we want to make sure our stomach acid is plentiful and strong.
Mouth: food begins its mechanical and chemical breakdown in the mouth (thru chewing and salivary enzymes)
Stomach: the major breakdown of food starts in the stomach, specifically protein triggers the release of stomach acid (hydrochloric acid, or HCl). HCl is designed to “get things going,”. The very strong acid (between 1-2!) is supposed to start breaking things down to a point where they can pass along
Small intestine: food isn’t supposed to remain in the stomach for very long. When the HCl is strong enough to do its job, it quickly hands the baton to the duodenum. When HCl isn’t strong enough, or there’s not enough of it to go around, food stays in the stomach longer than it should. Proteins putrefy, carbohydrates ferment, and this is what produces bloating, discomfort, and the gas that “refluxes” back into the esophagus. So acid-reducing and blocking drugs are simply band-aids. They do nothing to address the underlying cause; they just cork the gas! In fact, by merely suppressing the symptoms and continuing to eat as before, they lay the groundwork for slow-growing, long-term health complications. While the authors are quick to cite pharma bucks and ‘for life’ indigestion suppression drugs, we need to remember we’re not Tums deficient, we’re stomach acids deficient
Strong stomach acid activates protein-digesting enzymes and helps us absorb vitamins and minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, folate, and B12. But, as the authors explain that “normal stomach function is like the first domino in a row: if it doesn’t fall as it should, the rest won’t, either.”: if digestion in the stomach is compromised, then the breakdown and absorption of nutrients in the stomach and beyond won’t be optimal. In fact, they can be reduced to the point where even if someone is consuming a nutrient-dense diet, they can suffer both sub-clinical and overt deficiencies because they’re not assimilating those nutrients: read expensive wastes! But, as the authors put it, “How can we expect to stay healthy if we have chronically poor nutrient absorption due to incomplete digestion?”, the real deal is this centrepiece in every part of our health, not just the moments of our digestion.
We also know that individual amino acids (particularly tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine) are required to make neurotransmitters that facilitate stable moods and psychological balance. The authors do a grand job of explaining the links between good HCl and brain health or consequent anxiety, depression and the spectrum of mental health issues we’re facing today - our brain is our ‘second gut’ after all - as well as similar allergy, food sensitivity and auto-immune issues that can arise, not to mention the subsequent result of long term HCl suppression thru acid lowering meds!
What if there was a chance that simply boosting stomach acid could have profound effects upon health or if indigestion could be prevented or soothed by something as ACV or improved by something as low-tech as lemon juice? What if you could get to the root cause behind your indigestion+ issues and help your body help itself amidst all that life gives us? This book is a must-read for anyone suffering from any type of indigestion as well as medical conditions of unknown etiology.
