When we are healthy, we produce a strong acid in our stomachs; so strong that it resembles battery acid.

This helps us to break apart our foods so we can access the nutrients found in them. But what happens when we have low acid in our stomach? We can’t break our foods down. This can lead to symptoms of indigestion, deficiencies of nutrients, and bacterial infections. Or, worse yet, your immune system attack the food that hasn't been broken down leading to food allergies. Digestive issues are so common; it’s likely that at least 25% of the people reading this article are suffering from or dyspepsia (gas, burning, nausea, fullness, reflux, or general discomfort in your abdomen). Surprisingly, many of you that are taking medications for these issues may have caused food sensitivities and food allergies. If you went to your doctor complaining of or dyspepsia, you were most likely prescribed an acid blocking medication called a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI). From July 2013 to June 2014 there were 18.6 million monthly prescriptions written for the in the US. In fact, it was the third most commonly prescribed medication in the country for that time period. Combined and another 4.6 million prescriptions of the and countless over the counter purchases of and, chances are high that you or someone you know is taking one of these medications. Research indicates a healthy person may start off and a pH in their stomach somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0. This is relatively equivalent to having battery acid in your stomach. An din 5 days of being on a PPI, this pH will shift to a 5 which is equivalent to table vinegar. Unfortunately, the stomach was producing acid for a reason. 

All day the body is using a Soma Biotics lot of energy (ATP) to guarantee that our acid level is 3 million times higher in our stomach than it is in our blood. This high acid content allows us to break apart bonds in the food we eat. This is one of the most important steps in the process called digestion. When we break apart our food properly in the stomach, the small intestines can then absorb the unlocked nutrients; bacteria and yeasts won't overgrow and cause dysbioisis, and the immune system won't have any large food particles to attack. Numerous studies and FDA warnings are beginning to highlight that nutrient deficiencies of things like vitamin B12, iron, vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium often occur when people take acid blocking medications for long periods of time. But few people are talking about another side-effect of not breaking your food down: food reactions. Food Allergies and Low Stomach Acid It is estimated that over 70% of the body’s entire concentration of immune cells are found in the intestinal tract. These cells are designed to survey the contents of the intestines for possible foreign invaders like harmful bacteria or viruses. They often do this by recognizing certain amino acid sequences in the proteins of the substances that are traveling through. Just like we remember people by their facial features or personality traits, immune cells recognize organisms by their sequence of amino acids in their proteins. If there are amino acid combinations that look like harmful bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites, the immune cells will launch an “attack” against the foreign invader and call for reinforcements. When proteins from our foods are properly digested, they are literally broken down into tiny fragments that contain 1, 2, or 3 amino acids. These substances are too small for the immune cells to mistake for a harmful organism and therefore they do not stimulate an immune response. 

If there is not adequate acid in the stomach, proteins are not broken down well. This leaves the protein fragments in a size and shape that can be mistaken for an invader and cause an immune reaction. States in an article from Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, “Despite being considered a pleasure by most persons, food intake might also represent a health hazard in situations of altered metabolism or if food proteins are recognized as potentially harmful by the immune system.” To test this theory, Dr. Untermeyer set up some experiments in Petri dishes to see how important gastric acid's role was in lessening the allergenic capacity of foods. She found that proteins from cod fish lost their ability to bind to Age antibodies andin one minute of exposure to acids that were below a pH of 2.5. When the pH was raised slightly to a 2.75 (less acidic) that completely changed. In just that slight variation of acidity, the proteins became 10,000 times more likely to bind to Age antibodies (meaning they became allergenic). compared adults before and after a 3 month course of acid-blocking medication, she found that 10% of the subjects had an increase in existing Age mediated allergies and 15% developed new allergies to foods like milk, potato, celery, carrots, apple, orange, wheat, and rye flour. “Thus, the relative risk to develop food-specific Age after anti-acid therapy was 10.5.” In other words, her subjects were 10.5 times more likely to develop food allergies when they are on acid blocking medications! Babies and Children are more at Risk for Food Allergies Is this the same for kids? Yes. A study in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology in 2013 examined what happened to children varying in age from 0-18 when they were on acid blocking medication for one year. 

When researchers compared 4724 children that were not on medications and another 4724 set of age-matched children that were on gastric blocking medications, they found a 367% increase in allergies in the medicated group. If your baby has colic, the best option to reduce or eliminate symptoms is to have the breastfeeding mother do an Elimination Diet. If you are breastfeeding, there are many things you can do to get to the root of your infant's digestive issues. Removing the offending foods from your diet as well as adding in gut-healing nutrients can do wonders. A healthy stomach will produce acid to break apart proteins so amino acids can be absorbed in the small intestines. When proteins are not broken down properly, amino acids are not absorbed properly. I find that many people are amino acid-deficient after being on these medications because of how they inhibit protein digestion. Slow cooked meats and bone broths are one option for increasing very digestible sources of amino acids, and so is amino acid. The following amino acids have been shown to decrease muscle wasting and improve lean muscle mass for individuals that are deficient in protein: Amino Acid Complex is a broad-spectrum amino acid that was developed to decrease muscle wasting in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. It was later discovered to be effective at improving heart and mitochondrial function. There is actual research on this amino acid combination jump-starting mitochondrial function (you need to have good mitochondrial function so you can produce enough stomach acid). L-Glutamine is known to soothe the intestinal tract. In fact, it is the primary fuel for the intestinal cells! Glutamine also plays a role in maintaining lean muscle mass. 

It is the most abundant amino acid in the human body and commonly used by athletes. Do you suffer from bowel flare-ups, skin problems, brain fog, insomnia, mood issues, muscle and joint pain, or migraines after being on your meds for 6 months or longer? Remember that acid-blocking medications cause low stomach acid, which then in turn allows for large, undigested food particles to reach the immune system. Food reactions cause a myriad of different symptoms. If you are reacting to foods, it is going to be difficult to heal your body unless you remove those offending foods for a while. Our Elimination Diet has helped thousands of people identify what foods work and don’t work for their bodies. In the process, they have been able to let go of GERD, dyspepsia, joint pain, headaches, skin problems, mood issues, and more! A steaming bowl of fresh cooked oatmeal is the perfect way to start off your day, especially if you are trying to prevent or are currently dealing and heart disease or diabetes. Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a specific type of fiber known as beta-glean. Since 1963, study after study has proven the beneficial effects of this special fiber on cholesterol levels. Studies show that in individuals and high cholesterol (above 220 mg/dl), consuming just 3 grams of soluble oat fiber per day (an amount found in one bowl of oatmeal) typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%. This is highly significant since each 1% drop in serum cholesterol translates to a 2% decrease in the risk of developing heart disease. High cholesterol levels correlate and the buildup of plaques in blood vessel walls. If these plaques become damaged or simply grow too large, they can rupture, blocking a blood vessel and causing a heart attack, stroke, or blood clots elsewhere in the body. 

Lowering high cholesterol levels can therefore significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine confirms that eating high fiber foods, such as oats, helps prevent heart disease. Almost 10,000 American adults participated in this study and were followed for 19 years. People eating the most fiber, 21 grams per day, had 12% less coronary heart disease (CHD) and 11% less cardiovascular disease compared to those eating the least, 5 grams daily. Those eating the most water-soluble dietary fiber fared even better and a 15% reduction in risk of CHD and a 10% risk reduction in. Unique Oat Antioxidants Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Oats, via their high fiber content, are already known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream. Now, the latest research suggests they may have another cardio-protective mechanism. Antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, suggests a study conducted at Tufts University and published in The Journal of Nutrition. In this study, laboratory animals were fed saline containing 0.25 grams of phenol-rich oat bran, after which blood samples were taken at intervals from 20 to 120 minutes. 

After 40 minutes, blood concentrations of avenanthramides had peaked, showing these compounds were bioavailable (able to be absorbed). Next, the researchers tested the antioxidant ability of avenanthramides to protect LDL cholesterol against oxidation (free radical damage) induced by copper. Not only did the avenanthramides increase the amount of time before LDL became oxidized, but when vitamin C was added, the oat phenols interacted synergistically and the vitamin, extending the time during which LDL was protected from 137 to 216 minutes. In another study also conducted at Tufts and published in Atherosclerosis, researchers exposed human arterial wall cells to purified avenenthramides from oats for 24 hours, and found that these oat phenols significantly suppressed the production of several types of molecules involved in the attachment of monocots (immune cells in the bloodstream) to the arterial wall—the first step in the development of atherosclerosis. The secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines KL-6, chemokines IL-8 and protein MCP-monocot chemo attractant protein). Our advice: Cut an orange (which is rich in vitamin C) in quarters or pour yourself a glass of orange juice to enjoy along and your oatmeal. If you prefer some other grain for your breakfast cereal, top it and a heaping spoonful of oat bran. Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization among the elderly in the United States.