Hydrochloric Acid and Digestive Enzyme’s Importance in the Body

35 million glands located in the innermost layer of the stomach produce gastric juice, which contains hydrochloric acid (HCl), pepsin and lipase, enzymes. The HCl and pepsin act on proteins, while the lipase helps break down fats. Often if we get stomach pain we erroneously conclude that we’re producing too much HCl and take antacids for temporary relief. Often eating something helps too. But the relief from the acids is fleeting as the stomach simply produces more acid in order to properly digest the food in the stomach.

The burning sensation may be caused by too much or TOO LITTLE stomach acid. This makes it very important to find out if you are producing too many or too few stomach enzymes. You can find out by taking the Enzyme Questionnaire .

Stomach enzymes can over or under-produce depending on your particular genetics; from eating too many foods cooked and not raw; from offensive odors and repulsive scents; and from certain emotions such as fear and depression which releases cortisol in the form of adrenaline. The flight or fight response of adrenaline is a primitive natural defense mechanism that allows the energy normally used for digesting foods, to be instead used to give us energy for the strength needed to flee from an enemy or fight for our lives. In today’s modern age where we flee less and keep our anger inside us, this mechanism backfires on us. Instead of using up the excess adrenaline during the energy release that running and fighting would give us, we internalize our modern problems and keep adrenaline circulating in our systems. This is where the stress aggravates the conditions in our bodies that allow ulcers to grow uncontrolled.

The emotions of fear and depression and the offensive odors tend to create an underproduction of gastric juice. Anger and hostility tend to increase production. Chronic over-stimulation may eventually deplete the body’s ability to make acid, which increases nutritional shortages and slows the healing of wounds, like stomach ulceration.

HCl is important for dissolving collagen and nucleoproteins; to aid in the absorption of minerals; to inhibit bacteria caused from food poisoning. These bacteria produce poisonous by-products and degrade your health. Adequate digestive enzymes ensure that food particles are broken down and utilized by the body. Partially digested food particles, from not having enough enzymes, circulate in the blood and putrefy in the intestines. By controlling bacteria HCl helps to prevent putrefactive lactic acid fermentation. Enzymes and HCl help to prevent ulcers.