What is the role of Acid in Our Stomach. From the age, when the acid-base concept was rocket science for us, we were introduced to the term ‘acidity in the stomach’ by our elders. One or the other grown up in the family is found complaining about burning tummies due to overeating or junk eating and all we knew back in the naive ages was that elders have a poor digestive system or mal eating can put our bellies on fire. But, this childhood picture of acidity has a strong scientific frame that is not much clear to all.
Being such a vital part of our digestive system, it deserves to be known to every sane mind that cares for his or her health. So, paying due respect to the efforts of many physiologists’ whose sleepless nights helped us to know about the chemistry behind the biology of the digestive system, this article heads to portray a detailed role of acid in our stomach.
To start for the unversed, the burning sensation in the stomach after eating excessive or 0pspicy food is not because of the peppery ingredients in the dish but the walls of our breadbasket which actually discharges the acid. This acid is not just vital for the digestion of our intakes but is also responsible for maintaining a healthy body. Let’s use some detailed colours on the concept of acid in the stomach to paint a clear portrait.
Which, Where and How of the gastric acid:
The common image of acid we hold is of a liquid in a glass container and a single drop of which can cause a severe burning sensation to human skin. So it obviously is quite weird to imagine that in our tummy. But, by all facts and figures, it is there. To clear the FAQs popping up in your mind regarding this acid in our stomach, here are answers:
What is the Role of Acid in Our Stomach
- Which acid is present in the human stomach?
It is Hydrochloric acid that’s present in our stomach. Maintaining the pH level of the stomach from 1.5-3.5 this acid prepares an acidic medium required for proper digestion. The healthy amount of acid in the stomach is from 20-100 ml.
- From where and how does our stomach brings acid?
The HCl acid is released by the inner lining of the stomach and on average a healthy gut secretes 1.5 litres of this gastric acid daily.
Going more into physiology and terminologies, the human stomach has parietal cells on the walls of the stomach. The cytoplasm of the parietal cells hosts the combining process of water (H2O) and Carbon dioxide (CO2) forming the carbonic acid (H2CO3). This process is catalysed by Carbonic anhydrase. The Carbonic acid further breaks into H+ and HCO3- ions.
Now the H+ ion gets transported to the stomach lumen in exchange for K+ ions through ATPase pump and HCO3- ions are exported out of the cell to blood in exchange for Cl- ions. The Cl- ions then travel to the stomach lumen where H+ and Cl- being oppositely charged forms HCl acid which is discharged through the walls of the stomach when required.
- How it doesn’t damage our stomach?
One of the most confusing thoughts arising in every mind which is new to this concept is that how the acid doesn’t burn our stomach when it has that low levels of pH. Actually, our stomach walls are sealed with a one-way permeable coating of mucus that shields the inner layer of the stomach from the effects of the acid. This coating allows only the secretion of acid, not its interaction with the walls. In fact, any damage to this coating can lead to severe health issues like peptic ulcers.
Story of the acid
Today we have a fortune of devices and methods to spot the quality and quantity of acid in our stomach, but, it was not always the same. Physiologists from different corners of the world ran through various theories, analogies, hypothesis and experimentations before concluding the presence of HCl in gastric fluids in 1823 by William Prout. Various stages of acid in the stomach over history are:
- According to Greeks, it was just a bitter-sour fluid in the stomach leading to heartburn sensation and it had nothing to do with the digestion process.
- The renowned alchemist Paracelsus indicated the first signs of the presence of acid in the stomach and pictured it as a result of drinking acidic spa water.
- Somewhat in the middle of the 17th century, it was claimed by Van Helmont that digestion is carried out by acid fermentation extracted from the spleen. Helmont turned the process more towards a spiritual phenomenon than a chemical.
- The Iatromathematical school proposed it to be more of a mechanical process than a chemical one and claimed digestion to be an act of trituration.
- In the 1780’s Lazzaro Spallanzani proved that digestion was a result of acid present in the stomach, backing up his theory with proven experiment results.
- After many further claims and theories, William Prout proved the presence of HCl and its approximate amount in the human stomach in 1823. His claims received no strong objections and it opened doors to newer discoveries like pepsin.
Why do we need this acid?
This is actually the base question of this write-up that why do we need this acid and what is its exact role in the process of digestion. Why our digestive system is non-functional without this fluid and what is the role of the HCl in the stomach. Let’s discuss all of its vital roles, each in detail:
- Activates Pepsin
Pepsin is an enzyme secreted by gastric chief cells and this enzyme is critical to digestion as it breaks down the ingested protein into smaller peptides. You can relate it to an axe used to cut down wood logs into smaller pieces so that they can be burnt down easily. Now as we need a sharper axe to cut wood logs, so do we need an active enzyme to break down protein.
Pepsin is released by the chief cells in an inactive pepsinogen form. Pepsinogen becomes an active enzyme Pepsin in an acidic environment and that is where the Hydrochloric acid comes into the mainframe. It provides the ideal 1.5-3.5 pH level for pepsinogen to get activated into Pepsin and ease the digestion process by dissociating protein.
- Kills microbes
How so intense hygiene measures we may practice, practically we cannot eliminate 100% microbes from the food we eat and despite our dire efforts, we swallow a lot more germs than we expect. Thanks to this magical acid in our paunch that these microbes don’t reach further to our intestine and spoil our immunity system. The acid kills these harmful littles in the tummy itself and deters them to cause any damage to our body.
- Catalyses digestion
Apart from activating Pepsin that breaks proteins, gastric acid also plays a critical role in the digestion of other food ingested. The process of digestion of our meals starts from the mouth itself where chewing and mixing of saliva break the food. This breakdown continues in the stomach as well where HCl eases the digestion process by getting mixed with the food and breaking it down further.
- Helps in absorption of nutrients
Eating a nutritious and healthy diet is always taught to be essential to keep our body flushed with essential vitamins, minerals and other necessities to a stronger body. But, trust me, it is of no use if your body drains those nutrients without absorbing them. For instance, how good is watering a plant over marble flooring? It will die how so much water we pour into the floor as the marble floor would not allow even a drop to be absorbed by the plant. The same is the case with the human stomach. You will get only as much energy as many nutrients your system absorbs.
The acid in our stomach helps in this absorption of nutrients quite significantly especially in the case of proteins and vitamin B12.
If there were no acid
It is quite obvious of human nature that we understand the necessity of something in its absence. So, to make the vitality of Gastric acid more pronounced, let’s analyze the situation when we don’t have it. So, here are the consequences of no acids in the tummy:
- No acid- No Pepsin activation- No protein breakage- No proper digestion- undigested food contaminated in the stomach- germs on the undigested food- severe diseases.
- No acid- No proper absorption of nutrients- deficiency of nutrients and energy in the body- deficiency diseases.
- No acid- Microbes entering with food- microbes not getting killed- microbes reaching intestine- intestine damaged- the digestive system failed- severe diseases.
The complete digestive process is very simple yet co-dependent. The absence of any single step can cause severe results and the role of HCl is one such vital step.
Amount of gastric acid necessary?
The role of gastric acid doesn’t conclude with just its presence as the amount also matters profoundly. Scarcity or excess of acid discharged from the stomach lining can evidently affect our body signing towards growing diseases and health issues.
When the acid is Scarce:
The scarcity of something is mostly harmful and the same goes with the tummy acids. When your tummy walls fail to produce enough amount of gastric acid then it is an alarming sign. Diseases like hypochlorhydria is a result of low levels of acid released in the stomach and results in poor digestion, low nutrient absorption and exhausted energy levels of the body.
- Symptoms of acid deficiency
- Bloating
- Diarrhoea
- Anaemia
- Hair loss
- Weakness
- Causes of low levels of acid:
- Chronic stress
- Excessive or long term use of antacids
- Bacterial infections
- Low zinc levels
- How to cure:
- Taking HCl supplements
- Stopping use of antacids
- Taking antibiotics against bacterial infection.
- Taking zinc-rich diets
When acid is in excess
The most formal disease of all time and that is more common than even common cold is ‘acid reflux’. It is a fancier name for having an excessive acid release in the stomach and not in any way it is a pleasant feeling. Going more precise, it is not actually the excess of acid in the stomach but it is those levels that pushes it back to the oesophagus causing that heart burning sensation that most of the global population is familiar with. Other diseases that are induced due to more than enough acids in the tummy are peptic ulcers, Zollinger Ellison syndrome, gastritis, etc.
- Symptoms of excessive acid
- Heartburn
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Hiccups
- Loss of appetite
- Causes of high levels of stomach acid
- Excessive or junk eating
- Prolonged fasting
- Kidney failure
- Blockage in intestinal opening
- Bacterial infection
- How to cure:
- Maintain balanced and healthy eating
- Don’t keep your stomach empty for long.
- Avoid caffeine-rich food.
- Use prescribed antacids.
How to maintain healthy levels of acid in the stomach
To maintain a healthy body, it is important to maintain an optimum level of acid in the stomach. To keep the hairline gap between excess acid, normal acid and low acid, it is a must to keep track of what you treat your digestive system with. The following steps can help keep the acid levels to sufficiency:
- Eat a balanced diet with low levels of carbs and a good amount of fibres.
- Avoid caffeine driven beverages.
- Refrain from alcohol and smoking.
- Practice regular yoga and abdominal exercise
- Avoid unnecessary intake of antacids.
Conclusion
The presence of acid in our stomach needs no proof in the present day’s physiology and nor does its vitality requires any backbone. To maintain a healthy living and sound digestive system, we must keep the track of our stomach’s fluids and should maintain a h
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