Rebuilding the Temple of God, one stone at a time!

 Achlorhydria (Low acid production) & Bacterial Overgrowth of the intestine. Call 1-800-642-9670

Instantly Absorbable Liquid Ionic Minerals and Supplements

*Achlorhydria (Low acid production) & Bacterial Overgrowth of the intestine.

Also known as hypochlorhydria, this describes a reduced ability to produce hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Since hydrochloric acid is a pre-requisite for protein digestion, and is also required to stimulate the next (pancreatic) stage of digestion, achlorhydria may result in significantly impaired digestion and absorption even bacterial overgrowth of the small and large bowel.

The presence of undigested food in the stool indicates a deficiency in the secretion of hydrochloric acid by the stomach, of digestive enzymes by the pancreas, or both. These deficiencies can be helped by HCL (Betaine Hydrochloride) and enzyme supplementation. Digestive enzymes are available as supplements in several forms. Pancreatin is an extract of the pancreas of cows or pigs and is a very potent, broad-spectrum aid for the digestion of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. However, if you are allergic to beef or pork, you will probably not tolerate pancreatin. 

    It is estimated that 80% of patients with food allergies suffer from some degree of impairment of hydrochloric acid secretion by their stomachs.¹⁴ This can range from the complete absence of hydrochloric acid (achlorhydria) to a deficiency in the amount of hydrochloric acid secreted (hypochlorhydria). The passage of acidic stomach contents into the small intestine is the stimulus for the pancreas to release digestive enzymes and bicarbonate. Therefore, if you have hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria, you may not secrete digestive enzymes properly even if your pancreas is fully able to do so. This is one of several reasons that hydrochloric acid supplements may be essential to your return to health. 

    However, hydrochloric acid supplements, if not needed or if taken in too large amounts, can cause ulceration of the stomach. Supplementation with betaine-HCl (from beets) or glutamic-HCl (from grains) should be done only under medical supervision. Your doctor may perform a Heidelberg gastrogram, which is a test that determines your ability to secrete hydrochloric acid. To do this test, the patient swallows an instrument the size of a large capsule which has a string attached to it for retrieval. The instrument then transmits information about the pH of the digestive tract and how it changes when the patient drinks a bicarbonate solution. Or your doctor might suspect hypochlorhydria because of the presence of undigested food in a stool analysis. Rather than doing a Heidelberg gastrogram, he or she may have you take gradually increasing amounts of a hydrochloric acid supplement and report your symptoms to determine your degree of need for hydrochloric acid. 

    Surprisingly, a common symptom of hypochlorhydria is heartburn. Television commercials tell us when we have heartburn we should neutralize our stomach acid with various antacids, or, even more drastically, take medications which have recently become available “over the counter,” such as ranitidine, cimetidine, nizatidine, or famotidine (proton pump inhibitors), which reduce our production of stomach acid. For those who have heartburn because of hypochlorhydria, these medications may bring relief of heartburn but could lead to poor digestion and thus to dysbiosis, leaky gut, and food allergies. Before you risk compromising your health with these medications, ask your doctor to help you find out if your real problem might be inefficient production of hydrochloric acid. 

    In addition to stimulating the release of digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid plays other roles in your health. It is essential for the ionization of minerals so they can be absorbed. It is interesting to note that some cases of iron deficiency anemia and other mineral deficiencies can be traced to low hydrochloric acid production. Protein cannot be digested without sufficient hydrochloric acid. This acid is responsible for nearly sterilizing food in the stomach, so insufficient secretion can result in bacterial overgrowth and Dysbiosis of the small intestine, as discussed in the section on dysbiosis later in this part of the website. Finally, hydrochloric acid promotes a friendly pH for the growth of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in the small and large intestine.¹⁵ 

Dysbiosis and bacterial overgrowth of the stomach and small intestine may occur in achlorhydric individuals since hydrochloric acid normally destroys micro-organisms in the stomach.

Food Allergies - Primary and Secondary

Allergies are a modern plague. Even babies and toddlers are suffering. Allergies cut across all lines of age, location, social status, and ethnic background.

A person is allergic to something when a stimulus that is neutral for others creates a strong defensive reaction in that person. Harmless substances, like pollen, dust, or animal hair, or chemicals and medications, can trigger a major response in sometimes very small doses.

Allergies can result from an overloaded, compromised immune system. Some allergies may be genetically predisposed. Exposure to environmental toxins, poor nutrition, stress, age, can all do their damage to the immune system and make allergies more likely.

For years, allergy research was occupied primarily with this type of allergy. Yet some researchers suggest that possibly 70 percent of patients with allergy symptoms demonstrate no such immediate response, and evidence at the same time the absense of IgE antibodies. These allergies, the result of food intolerance or "latent food allergy", have their own antibodies, called IgG. With the help of special blood tests, this disorder can now be accurately diagnosed and treated. (One test is called ELISA, short for "Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbant Assay".) A test is often required for diagnosis because the allergic response can be delayed for an hour, several hours, or even days after indulgence in the suspected food allergen.

Two primary conditions are responsible for the development of a secondary allergy, whose antigen is always a food: insufficient hydrochloric acid(HCl) in the stomach, and "leaky gut". The lack of stomach acid leads to inadequate pre-digestion, particularly of protein foods. "Leaky gut" is a condition where openings in the intestine are large enough for undigested food particles to pass through, where, in the bloodstream, they are identified as "foreign" and therefore arouse a response from the immune system.

The B-lymphocites of the immune system now attempt to detoxify the "food poisons." For this purpose, they produce IgG antibodies that attach to the food molecules so as to identify them. If all goes well, these food-IgG complexes are eaten up by the white immune cells. If there are too many, they can be deposited almost anywhere in the body: joints, muscles, skin, brain, lungs, arteries, etc. This can lead to inflammation, pain, degeneration, or water-retention in the given area. And meanwhile, the immune system has been stressed to the maximum in the effort, leaving the subject poorly equipped to fight infection.

Secondary food allergies can account for a wide range of symptoms. These food-IgG complexes can be deposited in virtually any organ or tissue of the body. Frequent complaints include: headache, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, colitis, eczema, hives, asthma, or rheumatism. Removal of the offending food item(s) may lead to complete, or at least considerable, relief.

Many with primary allergies(animal hair, pollen, etc.) find that recovery from secondary allergies greatly improves their immune response, and succeeding exposures to primary allergens require much stronger or longer contact to trigger a response.

Most adults over 30 experience a decline in stomach production of HCl acid. This is aggravated by hurried meals, stress, anxiety, certain medications, and alcohol abuse. Further reductions can be caused by inflammation of the stomach(and gastrointestinal tract) by parasites, candida yeast, H.pylori bacteria, and other microorganisms.

The most frequent cause of a leaky gut are antibiotics and pain-killers, alcohol, and poor diet. Also implicated are infections from parasites, H.pylori, and candida yeast, which can eventually result in perforation of the intestinal wall.

As mentioned, removal of the respective food(s) from the diet can result in marked reduction of symptoms. And the memory of B-lymphocytes, which trigger production of IgG, only lasts for two to three months. If an offending food item is removed from the diet for at least three months, it can usually be taken again without causing an allergic reaction. Food intolerances will not go away, of course, unless the underlying cause of them in the first place is removed.

It is quite possible that science will never sort out all the complexities of the human immune system. However, current research does distinguish between two types of allergies: primary and secondary. These are characterized by different antibodies, immunoglobulin E(IgE) and immunoglobulin G(IgG). (There are 4 known kinds of IgG, 2 kinds of IgA, plus IgM, IgD, as well as IgE.) Primary allergies are characterized by the quick onset of clearly-defined symptoms like rashes, swelling, runny nose, asthma attacks, usually developing within a few minutes but sometimes within an hour or two. Sometimes a minor exposure can provoke an enormous, even life-threatening, response.

Rawls WB, Ancona VC. Chronic urticaria associated with hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria. Rev Gastroenterol 1951;18:267.

Anonymous. A plug for acid therapy. Am J Dig Dis 1948;16:418

Getting to the Root of the Problem

Digestion 

    Many people with food allergies have impaired digestion. Incomplete digestion of foods which then pass through a leaky gut into the bloodstream is a major contributing factor to the problem of food allergies.⁸ 

    There are several things you can do to improve your digestion. The most basic is to pay attention to how you eat. Try to be in a relaxed frame of mind when you eat. Chew your food very thoroughly. Chewing breaks the food down into smaller particles that can be acted on more easily by your digestive system, starting in the mouth. When you chew well, you begin the process of starch digestion by mixing the food with the enzyme salivary amylase. 

    Drinking water with meals is a controversial subject. Some have suggested that it “dilutes the digestive juices.” Using large quantities of water to wash down food rather than taking the time to chew thoroughly is a practice to be avoided. However, studies have shown that a moderate intake of one to two glasses of water with a meal improves digestion by facilitating both the production of gastric secretions at the time you eat and also the secretion of bicarbonate into the small intestine that normally occurs one to two hours after a meal.⁹ 

    Broad-spectrum plant enzymes are also active in the digestion of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. I took plant based enzymes for several months, and during that time gained weight easily for the first time since I developed Crohn's disease. (Note: Although being underweight is a problem for some with food allergies, improving digestion, and especially removing addictive allergic foods from the diet, allows overweight patients to lose weight easily. The treatment of maldigestion and food allergies should lead to normal weight). However, after using digestive enzymes daily for several months, I became sensitized to them. Digestive enzymes are large, complex protein molecules, and thus we may sensitize to them more easily than to other supplements.¹⁰ 

    Dr. William Philpott recommends the rotation of digestive enzymes on a four day cycle.¹¹ This can be accomplished by using pancreatin (from pork and beef), plant enzymes (from Aspergillus orazeae), bromelain (from pineapple), and papain (from papaya). Bromelain and papain are active in the digestion of protein only. I personally found that I did not gain weight using papain and bromelain. Studies have shown them to be much less potent than pancreatin.¹² 

    In his book, Digestive Enzymes, Dr. Jeffrey Bland says that while enzyme supplements can be an important part of breaking the vicious cycle of maldigestion and starting us on the road back to health, we should not have to take them forever. He recommends a regimen of vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc, and pantothenic acid to improve digestive health in general.¹³ You might want to discuss this protocol with your doctor or nutritionist and consider trying it. After about a month on these supplements, I again found it easier to gain weight, and because of that, I assume than I am now producing my own digestive enzymes. 

    It is estimated that 80% of patients with food allergies suffer from some degree of impairment of hydrochloric acid secretion by their stomachs.¹⁴ This can range from the complete absence of hydrochloric acid (achlorhydria) to a deficiency in the amount of hydrochloric acid secreted (hypochlorhydria). The passage of acidic stomach contents into the small intestine is the stimulus for the pancreas to release digestive enzymes and bicarbonate. Therefore, if you have hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria, you may not secrete digestive enzymes properly even if your pancreas is fully able to do so. This is one of several reasons that hydrochloric acid supplements may be essential to your return to health. 

    However, hydrochloric acid supplements, may be highly beneficial in the treatment of leaky gut syndrome and intestinal dysbiosis, but if not needed or if taken in too large amounts, can cause ulceration of the stomach. Supplementation with betaine-HCl (from beets) or glutamic-HCl (from grains) should be done only under medical supervision. Your doctor may perform a Heidelberg gastrogram, which is a test that determines your ability to secrete hydrochloric acid. To do this test, the patient swallows an instrument the size of a large capsule which has a string attached to it for retrieval. The instrument then transmits information about the pH of the digestive tract and how it changes when the patient drinks a bicarbonate solution. Or your doctor might suspect hypochlorhydria because of the presence of undigested food in a stool analysis. Rather than doing a Heidelberg gastrogram, he or she may have you take gradually increasing amounts of a hydrochloric acid supplement and report your symptoms to determine your degree of need for hydrochloric acid. 

A final possible way to improve your digestion, in addition to chewing thoroughly, relaxing at mealtimes, and taking any necessary hydrochloric acid or digestive enzyme supplements, is the system of "food combining." Although there is no proof of its validity, this system has been in use for over eighty years and there are many testimonials of improved health as a result of following it. It is based on the principle that protein and starch require different conditions in the stomach for optimal digestion. A very acid stomach is best for protein digestion and a less acid stomach, in which salivary amylase is more active, is best for starch digestion. Therefore, to make the job of your digestive system a little easier, protein and starch should not be eaten together in the same meal. Some food combining schemes are very restrictive and eliminate whole groups of foods. In my opinion, this is counterproductive to good health. A highly varied diet of all the nutritious foods you can tolerate is vital to your recovery. However, other food combining plans are less strict and include all foods except refined flours and sugar. 

    In the more liberal food combining plans, the "rules" are simple. Foods are divided into three groups: protein, starch, and neutral. Foods from the neutral group may be eaten with either starch group or protein group foods. An example of such a food combining plan is included in 5 Years Without Food: The Food Allergy Survival Guide.  Some of the stricter plans direct that fruit be eaten alone on an empty stomach for quick, thorough digestion. This seems to help some people with yeast problems to tolerate eating fruits better. 

    The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates is based in part on the principles of food combining. Patients with candidiasis who have tried many other ways to overcome it report finally achieving good health after using the body ecology diet.¹⁶ In my opinion, it may be “worth a try” to eat properly combined meals most of the time, especially if you feel that you are not quite reaching the level of health you desire using other means. Food combining may make things a little easier for your digestive system, improve nutrient absorption, and decrease the amount of undigested food present to feed unfriendly organisms. 

Acid-alkaline balance

In healthy individuals the pH of the blood is maintained betwen 7.35 and 7.45. This balance is dependent on the excretion of carbonic acid (carbon dioxide in solution) through the lungs, and the excretion of an acid or alkaline urine by the kidneys.

Diet can contribute significantly to the body's acid-alkaline balance. Fruits and vegetables are metabolized to an alkaline ash and are known as alkaline-forming, whereas high-protein foods are metabolized to sulphuric acid and phosphoric acid and are therefore acid-forming.

Although fruits yield citric acid and malic acid, these acids are oxidized by the body as part of its energy-production process.

Alkaline-forming foods

All fruits, most vegetables, honey, milk, wine and most nuts.

Acid-forming foods

Most meats, poultry, fish and sea food, lentils, brazil nuts, peanuts, bread and cereals, chocolate, eggs and cheese.Failure to maintain the acid-alkaline balance can result in acidosis or alkalosis.

Background
Human beings eat food to derive energy and nutrition for the purpose of sustenance, growth and reproduction. In fact, this is true for all the living systems, such as plants, microorganisms and animals. In the case of animals, the food is partially digested in the alimentary canal, mouth and stomach and finally in the intestine, where the partially digested food is ultimately metabolised by millions and millions of microorganisms working simultaneously and synergistically. It has been said that there are more bacteria in and on one person at one time than there are people on this earth. Fortunately, however, less than one percent of all the known types of microorganisms are undesirable or pathogenic.

A healthy intestine is one which maintains a critical balance between various groups of these bacteria such as lactobacilli, streptococci, clostridia, coliform and bacteroides. Any sub-optimal or unhealthy conditions like stress, onset of disease, ingestion of antibiotics and/or medicines, and improper food and rest, and harmful environmental conditions may endanger this fine balance in the intestinal flora.

for the preservation of food for human consumption. It has been well documented that certain types of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria are essential or desirable for optimal health. Metchnikoff was perhaps the first researcher, and he concluded in 1908 that the long life span of the Balkan people was due to the ingestion of large quantities of lactobacilli and other lactic organisms through fermented foods, which inhibit pathogens and detoxify their system.

For nearly a hundred years research has been conducted on lactobacillic cultures and many amazing facts about their "probiotic" nature have been established. Probiotic refers to those microorganisms which may prevent or reduce the effect of an infection caused by a pathogenic organism. In fact, such probiotic aspects have been consequently related closely to the beneficial, nutritional and therapeutic properties of these organisms.

Gastrointestinal ecology
The microflora of the gastrointestinal tract have been described as a complex ecosystem consisting of both aerobic and anaerobic micro-organisms. The quantity and variety of flora change within distinct areas of the gastrointestinal tract depending upon pH, oxygen availability, characteristics of coexisting flora, mucosal attachment sites, peristaltic activity, enteric secretions and the oxidation-reduction potential of the surrounding area.

Few bacteria can survive the acid environment of the stomach. The concentration of organisms in the stomach is usually less than 10 ³ colony forming units per millilitre. The predominant forms are aerobes or facultative anaerobes like streptococcus, staphylococcus, lactobacillus and various fungi. The microflora of the duodenum, jejunum and proximal ileum are similar to those of the stomach.

In the distal ileum gram-negative bacteria begin to out-number the gram-positive organisms with plentiful concentrations of coliforms and anaerobic bacteria. Colonic flora may be comprised of greater than 400 bacterial species, and a total bacterial count is between 10¹⁰ and 10¹²/ mL.

Colonisation of the neonate's intestinal tract occurs within a few days of birth and is influenced by gestational age, type of delivery and dietary source. A breast-fed infant may have fewer anaerobic flora than a formula-fed infant.

Bacterial Growth Factors:
Bacterial growth is modulated by a variety of host mechanisms. Facultative bacteria use oxygen which diffuses into the bowel, thereby maintaining the environment for the anaerobic flora. Some varieties of bacteria produce bactericidal substances which inhibit the growth of other species. Examples include colicine produced by some E coli, antibiotic substances produced by Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and short-chain fatty acids (lactic, propionic and butyric acid) produced by anaerobic micro-organisms. Exogenous factors affecting microorganisms include antibiotic administration and changes in diet, especially the fibre. The type and dose strength of antibiotic used determine which bacteria may be affected and the extent of destruction. Destruction of normal flora offers an opportunity for proliferation of pathogenic organisms in the gastrointestinal tract. Toxins produced by the pathogenic organisms may cause necrosis and ulceration of the colonic mucosa.

Alterations in microflora species and quantities may be associated with anatomical or physiological gastrointestinal abnormalities. Achlorhydria is characterised by significant increases in bacterial growth because gastric acid is critical in the control of exposure and growth of small bowel flora. Colonisation of the small bowel with colonic bacteria may result from ineffective peristalsis and acute diarrhoeal conditions. Bacterial overgrowth can result from obstruction, cirrhosis, surgery, radiation therapy, chronic malnutrition and localised inflammatory processes. Malabsorption of fat and vitamin B12, reduced amino acid absorption, increased production of indole and indican from tryptophan, and increased enzyme degradation of the intestinal mucosal cells are associated with bacterial overgrowth.

Physiological impact of bacteria on the body:
Intestinal microflora have been implicated in inducing colon cancer. Many procarcinogens occur naturally in our environment. Ingested procarcinogens may include food preservatives, dyes, additives or pollutants. The colonic microflora produce enzymes which mediate chemical reactions, resulting in the production of mutagenic substances. These enzymes include beta-glucuronidase, beta-glucosidase, nitroreductase, 7-alpha-dehyroxylase and cholesterol dehydrogenase. Increased fat and beef consumption has been linked to increased colon cancer risk.

Some of the resident bowel flora are capable of synthesising vitamins in excess of their own metabolic needs, including vitamins K and B12, folate, pyridoxine, biotin, pantothenate and riboflavin. In some intestinal overgrowth syndromes, the diversion of vitamins from the host by vitamin-requiring flora may result in vitamin decomposition and deficiency.

Intestinal microflora are also involved in the metabolism of sex steroid hormones. Betaglucuronidase and sulphatase catalyse the deconjugation of oestrogen glucuronides and sulphates excreted in the bile so that the estrogens may be reabsorbed by the intestinal mucosal cells. Deconjugation is also required for androgen metabolism. Antibiotic destruction of microflora population and concomitant enzymes could result in oral contraceptive failure and normal hormone effects.

Lactobacillus and Enteric Microflora Modulation:
The re-establishment of normal enteric flora can be facilitated through the use of fermented milk products which contain naturally occurring lactic acid fermenting bacteria, or through the use of supplements containing specific strains of lactobacillus organisms. Most lactobacilli are capable of surviving the acid gastric environment. These organisms adhere to specific receptors on the mucosal cells of the small and large intestine, suppressing the attachment of other bacteria. They inhibit the proliferation of less beneficial bacteria by creating an acid environment through the production of acetic, formic and lactic acids. In hepatic encephalopathy, the administration of lactobacilli alters bacterial flora by lowering the number of gram-negative rods which produce ammonia and amines.

Other beneficial effects include:

Anti-tumour activity
Cholesterol inhibition
Suppression of toxins
Inhibition of putrefactive bacteria
Reduction of beta-glucosidase and other enzymes
The production of natural antibiotics which are active against a wide variety of gram-positive and gram-negative organisms.


Lactobacillus has been shown to inhibit the formation of germtubes by Candida albicans and, therefore, to minimise the invasive action of this normal commensal of the throat, intestine and vaginal epithelium.

Maximum benefit from Lactobacillus augmentation may be achieved by careful choice of the metabolically active strain. The criteria for effective implantation include the following:- the ability of the organism to withstand the acid gastric environment; the capability of intestinal mucosal attachment; the number of colonies which may be established; the ability to resist inhibition by bile acids in the small intestine or to use bile acids as part of the organism's growth cycle.

The ease with which supplementation lactobacillus may be utilised and the wide array of benefits provided suggest a positive role in the control and modulation of intestinal microflora content and activity.

FOOTNOTES  8. Bland, Jeffrey, Ph.D. Digestive Enzymes, Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, CT, 1993, pp. 13 and 15.  9. Ibid, P. 9.  10. Jaffe, Russell, M.D., "Dysbiosis," American Academy of Environmental Medicine Conference, October 1992.  11. Phillpott, William H., M.D. Victory Over Diabetes, Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, CT, 1983, p. 69.  12. Bland, Jeffrey, Ph.D. Digestive Enzymes, p. ii.  13. Ibid, p. 20.  14. Braly, James, M.D. Dr. Braly's Food Allergy and Nutrition Revolution, p. 73. 15. Chaitow, Leon, and Natasha Trenev, Probiotics, Hohm Press, P.O. Box 2501, Prescott, AZ 86302, p. 12.  16. Gates, Donna, The Body Ecology Diet, B.E.D. Publications, 1266 W. Paces Ferry Road, Suite 505,

 

Copyright ©