Low Stomach Acid and Nutrient Absorption
As I mentioned here and here, low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) causes many problems, including bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, lowered resistance to infection by ingested pathogens, an increase in gastric cancer susceptibility, and reduced nutrient absorption. It has the potential to underlie many other issues, including food sensitivities. The prevalence varies by age, increasing from less than 10% in the young to over 50% in the elderly. In a previous post, I mentioned a few nutrients I had come across that require full stomach acidity for optimum absorption. I recently found a nice paper from 1989 titled "Hypochlorhydria: a Factor in Nutrition", which broadened my perspective. Here's a revised list of nutrients known to be affected by hypochlorhydria, as of 1989:- Calcium
- Iron
- Folic acid
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
- Niacin
- Protein
That's a hefty list, and it's not even comprehensive!
4 comments:
Some comments from the author's on mineral balance as a function of dietary fibre intake:
"In vitro studies suggests that dietary fiber binds Calcium at neutral pH (46)."
"Several short-term studies indicate purified fiber preparations may induce negative Ca++, Mg++, Zn++, and Fe++ balance (47, 64, 65)."
They go on to explain that a person with a dietary fibre intake of 17 g/day could absorb up to 150 mg of Calcium.
These references may provide a torpedo against the acid-base hypothesis. It seems this review moreso supports the anti-nutrient hypothesis.
D'oh. When I say 17 g of fibre could absorb 150 mg of Ca, I mean the fibre absorbs the Ca and denies it to the body.
I thought that was pretty interesting too.
It consists of consuming and eating mainly types of vegetables and other less acidic foods that was included in the list of acid and alkaline diet like nuts, grains and beans with additional amount of foods that possesses a bit higher quality of acids like dairy and meat products.
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