They say that digestion begins in the mouth, hence chew your food thoroughly. There is some truth to this. Chewing mechanically breaks down the food and there are enzymes in the saliva that help to breakdown carbohydrate. But digestion really begins in the stomach with the secretion of stomach acid, otherwise known as hydrochloric acid (HCL).
HCL is naturally released from the entreochromafin cells in the stomach lining. It is essential for:
- The digestion of proteins, it denatures the curled up proteins for pepsin to cleave the proteins into blocks of amino acids called di and tri-peptides.
- HCL is required for the production of intrinsic factor that is essential for the absorption of vitamin B12.
- HCL ionises all minerals so they can be absorbed.
- HCL signal to the pancreas to release digestive enzymes that further digest proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the small intestine.
- HCL stimulates the gall bladder to release bile, which emulsifies and digests fats.
- HCL destroys bacteria and parasites in the stomach
However, due to our modern stress levels we produce much less stomach acid than generation that have passed before us. We have to answer e-mails and texts, drive in rush our traffic, meet work or study deadlines, try and fit the gym, socialising and relationships into our lifestyles. Then we are bombarded we electromagnetic radiation, the chemical sea of oestrogens that are in our environment (see The growing tide of oestrogen related problems here) and the pollution on our food and in our water. Any kind of stress increases activity in the sympathetic nervous system – the fight and flight side of the nervous system, which reduces activity in the parasympathetic nervous system – the rest and digest branch of the nervous system. Hence you can see how stress reduces digestion and reduces the secretion of HCL in our stomach.
Low hydrochloric acid (HCL) production leads to poor digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. This can present as:
- Bloating, belching or gas after eating. So if you are farting all night after eating you sure have low HCL!
- Undigested food in stool
- Foul smelling stool – although this may just as likely be due to bacterial dysbiosis
- Indigestion and heartburn, paradoxically this is the case as the oesophageal sphincter is controlled by pH, the stomach’s pH is 1.5-2, which is extremely acidic.The more acidic the stomach is the tighter the sphincter holds shut, however if the pH rises due to low HCL production and becomes pH 4, which is still very acidic, the sphincter can loosen and allow backwash of acid in the oesophagus and give heart burn.
Imagine now that you have good HCL levels and that you are digesting all your food properly. You have less embarrassing gas and bloating after eating. The proteins you eat will go to your muscles and immune system to keep you strong and healthy. Vitamins will be absorbed providing antioxidants and co-factors for energy pathways giving your more energy. Your minerals will now be absorbed properly. Good magnesium absorption will improve your sleep and zinc will stimulate more HCL production and boost your immune system.
Before you take any supplements or making any changes to your diet you need to establish you HCL levels. Any changes you make are not as effective without first establishing your HCL levels and supplementing your programme with HCL. Try the following functional medicine test to establish your HCL levels.
Preparation
Purchase a bottle of HCL and pepsin capsules from BioCare or Digest force from Poliquin. Each capsule should be 200mg of HCL.
Step 1.
Imagine you are eating a steak and vegetables. Eat half the meal; take one capsule of HCL (200 mg). Finish the other half of the meal. Wait 15 minutes and observe the feeling you get in your stomach. If you get a warm sensation in your stomach within 15 minutes, like after drinking a hot cup of tea, stop the test as you have normal stomach acid levels. If you get no warm sensation proceed to step 2. YOU MUST TAKE THE HCL MID MEAL.
Step 2.
Take two capsules of HCL (2 x 200 mg) in the middle of your next meal. Wait 15 minutes and observe the feeling you get in your stomach. If you get no warm sensation proceed to step 3.
Step 3.
Take three capsules of HCL (3 x 200 mg) in the middle of your next meal. Wait 15 minutes and observe the feeling you get in your stomach. If you get no warm sensation proceed to step 4.
Step 4.
Take four capsules of HCL (4 x 200 mg) in the middle of your next meal. Wait 15 minutes and observe the feeling you get in your stomach. If you get no warm sensation proceed to step 5.
Step 5.
Take five capsules of HCL (5 x 200 mg) in the middle of your next meal. Wait 15 minutes and observe the feeling you get in your stomach. If you get no warm sensation proceed to step 6.
Step 6.
Take six capsules of HCL (6 x 200 mg) in the middle of your next meal. Wait 15 minutes and observe the feeling you get in your stomach. If you get no warm sensation proceed to step 7.
Step 7.
Take seven capsules of HCL (7 x 200 mg) in the middle of your next meal. Wait 15 minutes and observe the feeling you get in your stomach. If you get no warm sensation stop the test. DO NOT EXCEED SEVEN CAPSULES (seven meals).
If you experience very severe symptoms taking HCL, such as nausea or diarrhoea or you are on any stomach medication such as Omeprazole you should not take HCL, instead you can take 1 capsule of Primal Digest with each meal for 1 month, then 2 capsules of Omnizyme with each meal for 1 month. Then retry the HCL test. Click here to go to the supplement store.
Interpreting the results
If you got a warm sensation in your stomach within 15 minutes of taking one capsule of HCL you passed the test and don’t need to take a HCL supplement.
If you got a warm sensation after taking between two and seven capsules of HCL you produce some HCL naturally but need some extra support: Click here to go to the supplement store.
What ever step you passed the test at simply use the dose of HCL at the preceding step as you supplement requirements. Each time you get a warm sensation with that current dose work backwards through the doses of HCL at each step until you are back to normal. Please also be aware that some people naturally produce low stomach acid due to genetic reasons or due to being very stressed and may need to maintain a small dose of HCL indefinitely.
If you got no warm sensation after taking seven capsules of HCL you produce very little stomach acid. Therefore you will need to take 2 capsules of Ultra HCL 4.0 with each meal until that dose gives you a warm sensation after which you drop down to 1 capsule of Ultra HCL 4.0 and 3 capsules of Digest force with each meal and work backwards through the doses outlined above until your stomach is back to normal.
