* This is the Professional Version. Autoimmune Metaplastic Atrophic Gastritis Last full review/revision December 2016 by Nimish Vakil, MD * This is the Professional Version. Stomach acid, also called Gastric Acid, is made on demand when you eat via the parietal cells that line your stomach. Those parietal cells use various minerals to help make stomach acid–the latter which is mainly composed of hydrochloric acid, potassium and sodium, and will usually have a pH of 1.35 to 3.5 (Wiki), i.e. it’s all highly regulated. It’s purpose is to keep your pH levels down. Other cells in your stomach produce bicarbonate to help buffer the acidity, as well as mucus to help protect your stomach lining from the aciditiy. Two key benefits: absorption and protection. When food hits your stomach, it’s your stomach’s gastric acid that begins the breakdown of protein and most minerals with pepsin to prepare for the important absorption of key nutrients (like iron B12, Vit. D and MORE) in those foods for your health and well-being.
It also helps knock out bad or dangerous bacteria. Low stomach acid also leads to non-optimal levels of neurotransmitters/amino acids (chemicals which transmit signals from one cell to another and play a huge role in your health and well-being). Just as hypothyroidism can result in the drying out of your skin and hair, it also seems to lower the levels of stomach acid in many thyroid patients, possibly by lowering your amount of parietel cells or lowering their ability to produce gastric acid, aka hypochlorhydria. he absorption of important nutrients is reduced, and you can find yourself with non-optimal or low levels of iron, B12, Vitamin D and more. And you won’t have the protection you once had against bad forms of bacteria, causing their over-growth (dysbyosis). Symptoms can include delayed excessive gas as that bacteria enters your intestine. (Long term antibiotic use can also cause the same overgrowth.) Those low levels also cause the diagnosis of “gastritis”–when the stomach becomes inflamed and irritated DUE to the low stomach acid causing food or supplements to sit too long, thus irritation of the stomach lining.
Turns out that it’s our low levels of stomach acid which cause the Big 3: acid reflux (where our undigested stomach contents press up into our esophagus via a now-relaxed esophagus value and we feel the small amount of acid), heartburn (the burning sensation in our esophagus) and indigestion (impaired digestion due to poor breakdown of bad bacteria). And sadly, our doctors have been putting us on Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Omeprazole (Prilosec) or Lansoprazole (Prevacid) or Esomepraxole (Nexium) and more, all acid suppressors…and as if our symptoms come from excess acid! Or we head to our local pharmacy or grocery store and load up on antacids like Rolaids, Tums or others. So though they can mask symptoms, we are now made even worse. You can even have diarrhea from low stomach acid due to the inadequate digestion and pH issue of low stomach acid. Some speculate that inflammatory bowel disease is the result of low levels of stomach acid. Research has found that the older your body gets, the lower your secretion of stomach acid can become.
This happened to the elderly mother-in-law of the creator of this site, even without being hypothyroid, and she did much better with her digestion once she added Apple Cider Vinegar to her morning and bedtime water. Patients have discovered that increasing the acidic level of their stomachs can slow the growth of candida. (By the way, if you have candida, do an internet search for “baking soda candida”) Many patients are surprised to discover that their intolerance to milk products, called lactose intolerance, is actually a symptom of poor levels of stomach acid. And as happened to the husband of the creator of this site, his lactose intolerance completely went away once he started to give himself Apple Cider Vinegar (see below) in his morning drink. Even many cases of gluten intolerance can be connected to low stomach acid for some individuals. They have found that when they improve their acid levels, they are less sensitive to gluten to some degree. As you give yourself back the acid you need, absorption of key nutrients returns, which helps your parietal cells produce acid better all over again.
Many patients also turn to using a quality Probiotic along with their healthy acid supplements. Probiotics contain healthy bacteria as a way to start balancing out the abundance of bad bacteria. Note: If you have been on Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Prilosec or over-the-counter digestive aids like Rolaids or Tums etc for an extended period, and want to get off, it’s recommended not to stop cold turkey, but to wean off to avoid some side-effects of withdrawal. Janie’s husband went off cold turkey, and had heartburn for a week and poor tolerance for acids . It eventually subsided, and he returned to using ACV until he could get his hypothyroidism better treated. P.S. Low aldosterone, which causes low levels of sodium, can promote low stomach acid, since the acid needs salt to exist! ***A research study which connects hypothyroidism to low stomach here. ***Why is Hypochlorhydria Common in Thyroid Conditions article here. Why Take Vitamin C? Hopefully, you have read about Some Potential Risks of Vitamin C.
you know that Vitamin C has definitely not turned out to be the rock star thatIn spite of that, Vitamin C, in some cases at megadose levels, does merit very strong consideration. Here are some of the nice benefits from Vitamin C, including some potentially significant help in the bedroom:Yes, you read that right. healthy young volunteers found that 3 grams/day significantly increased their frequency of sexual intercourse. Not a bad day's work for a cheap[3] The authors of the study noted that vitamin C improves "catecholaminergic activity, decreases stress reactivity, approach anxiety and prolactin release, improves vascular function, and increases oxytocin release". Of course, all of these can improve your bedroom performance, desire andSo is there anywhere where megadoses of Vitamin C seem justified? example is in the brain. As I frequently point out, the brain is a huge energy and nutrient hog and Vitamin C is no exception.
studies have shown Vitamin C intake correlated with improved cognitive function[5] But it should be noted that there are other studies that show no correlation between Vitamin C intake and cognitiveResearchers examining the Rotterdam Study, for example, concluded that "there was no association between cognitive function and intake of vitamins C and E". [6] Again, though, the majority of studies show some advantage to Vitamin C supplementation. 3) Blood Flow, Nitric Oxide and Erections. There is good evidence that in men struggling with endothelial and erectile dysfunction that Vitamin C can significantly help their situation. I show all the latest evidence for this in my link on Vitamin C and Erectile Dysfunction.Researchers found that "Vitamin C status is inversely relatedIndividuals with adequate vitamin C status oxidize 30% more fat during a moderate exercise bout than individuals with low vitamin C status; thus, vitamin C-depleted individuals may be more resistant to fat mass loss".
[9] But remember this is only for Vitamin C deficient individuals and does notYou can get plenty of Vitamin C from food to overcome these kind of deficits. 5) Cortisol and Stress Reduction. Vitamin C has been shown in a number studies to reduce cortisol during times of stress. one study of ultramarathoners [10] showed decreases in cortisol from those given megadoses of Vitamin C. Another (almost humorous) study induced stress by forcing subjects into public speaking and mathematical test-taking situations and found that 3000 mg reduced[11] More recent research found that 1,000 mg of Vitamin C reduced cortisol levels in weight lifters for 24 hours[12] Animal studies have shown the same thing on animalsVitamin C protects your collagen, a key component to any anti-aging regimen for your Skin and Appearance. Now I know of no study that shows that oral Vitamin C supplementation reducesHowever, it is very likely that Vitamin C does
reduce or at least protect your skin from wrinkling on a small scale. fact, researchers just found that Vitamin C protects skin cell DNA through fibroblast stimulation [14] and think it may help to actually heal the skin. Vitamin C definitely can reduce wrinkling if applied topically. Skin and Topical Vitamin C for more details.Vitamin C has many immune-boosting properties but hasn't done quite as well in the studies as one might hope. However, one thing that most experts agree upon, as I document in my link on Immunity, is that Vitamin C often lowers the effects of colds and flus. The worst thing about colds and flus is that they last for a week or two and make you miserable with drainage, runny nose and similar symptoms. Vitamin C seems to help significantly with these type of symptoms, thus putting it somewhat in the "pain reliever" category, i.e. making your cold or flu more tolerable while you give your body's own immune system time to recover.
The above study, and others as well, have found that Vitamin C often improves mood and reduces depression. A large percentage of people are infected with H. Pylori, which leads often to gastritis, stomach cancer and probably a few other problems that we have not discovered yet. Vitamin C seems to make life miserable for the little critters and one study of patients so infected found complete elimination of the H. Pylori in almost a third of the patients. patients were given 5 grams daily.Megadoses of Vitamin C have substantially reduced baseline lead levels in several studies. For example, one study on smokers showed that a gram daily of vitamin C reduced lead levels by a whopping 80%. One reader reported to me - this is anecdotal of course - that Vitamin C helps significantly with his ADHD and libido. I explain why this may be the case for some men in this link on Vitamin C and Libido.There is gathering evidence that Vitamin C may improve inflammation, particularly in at risk men.
One prominent example was a 2009 study showed that CRP (C-Reactive Protein) can be reduced by 25% in men (and women) with levels > 1.0 mg/L. [14] What is remarkable is that this was achieved with a mere gram per day, which is a fairly low intake by "Linus Pauling" standards.Hopefully, you have read my Erectile Dysfunction and Homocysteine page. Basically, that article warns men that even mid normal homocysteine levels can lower nitric oxide and increase the risk of erectile dysfunctionVitamin C may actually be a huge help in this battle because it protects against oxidized LDL, which is what can increase atherosclerotic plaque. Vitamin C - My Current My strategy is to take 3 500 mg doses of Ester-C or one of the equivalent supplements. And I will take more if I feel as if I might be getting sick. And I always take Vitamin C with no fat in my stomach. Of course, this is no problem for me as I almost always consume a Low Fat Diet anyway. NOTE: Regular Vitamin C is acidic and can be hard on the stomach:
you may want to consider the (500 mg) , which is neutralized, if you do decide REFERENCES: 1) J Am Col Nutr, 1999, 18:166-70, "The effect of ascorbic acid supplementation on the blood lead levels of smokers" 2) EurJ Cancer Prev, 1998 Dec, 7(6):449-54, "Effects of high dose vitamin C treatment on Helicobacter pylori infection and total vitamin C concentration in 3) Biological Psychiatry, 15 August 2002, 52(4)371-374, "High-dose ascorbic acid increases intercourse frequency and improves mood: a randomized controlled Eur J of Clin Nutr, 2003, 57(Suppl1):S54�S57 5) J. Amer Geriatr Soc, 2000, 48:1285�1291 6) Am J Epidemiol, 1996, 144:275�80 Int J Sports Med, 2001 Oct, 22(7):537-43, Peters EM, Anderson R, Nieman DC, Fickl H, Jogessar V., "Vitamin C supplementation attenuates the increases in circulating cortisol, adrenaline and anti-inflammatory polypeptides following 11) Psychopharmacology (Berl),Jan 2002,159(3):319-24