How could the overuse of antacids inhibit protein digestion?I can not seem to find this answer any where can some one please help me?
How could the overuse of antacids inhibit protein digestion?
Posted by Neuron
Well, logically, antacids inhibit stomach acid and you probably need stomach acid in order to properly break down protein and digest it.
You need stomach acid to digest food.
Posted by ask_marilynne
Here is an excerpt from the website below. It does explain IN GREAT DETAIL the answer to your question.
"One thing that can de-nature proteins, including enzymes, is a change in pH, and in the case of enzymes, this would cause them to cease functioning. While hydrochloric acid, itself, cannot break peptide bonds (Cunningham, 1989), the low pH in the stomach denatures proteins in food, thereby changing their shape and exposing their peptide bonds so that pepsin can break these bonds. Even left-over salivary amylase is denatured, ceases to work, and is digested (Campbell, 1987). While hydrochloric acid does not actually digest food, it does help by softening the "glue" between the cells of various foods, making those foods more vulnerable to digestion by pepsin. Hydrochloric acid also helps by killing bacteria that are swallowed with food (Campbell, 1987).
The smell and/or taste of food triggers an initial burst of gastric juice (pepsin, HCl, etc.). Once food is in the stomach, its presence there triggers the release of the hormone, gastrin into the blood system.
As this hormone recirculates to the stomach, it stimulates continued production of gastric juice. The presence of food dilutes the hydrochloric acid, so stomach pH is a little higher when food is present, stimulating the secretion of more gastric juice. As the stomach gradually empties, the pH decreases. If the pH of the stomach becomes too low, that inhibits secretion of gastrin, thus reducing the secretion of gastric juices. This is an example of a negative feedback loop (Campbell, 1987), one of the many involved in homeostasis.
Antacids do just what their name suggests: they neutralize the normal stomach acid (HCl), causing the pH to rise to a nearly neutral pH of around 6 to 7. As the pH rises above 4, pepsin activity decreases or stops.
Some types of antacids, made of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) or calcium carbonate (CaCO3), are easily absorbed into a person's body and can cause a pH imbalance, possibly leading to kidney damage or other problems (Berkow, 1987). Using negative feedback loops as mentioned above, the body attempts to keep the pH level of the stomach fairly constant, and thus it has been shown that for many people, consumption of antacids actually increases the amount of acid secreted in an effort to restore normal pH.
One source states that antacids neutralize the stomach acid, preventing proper digestion and interfering with absorption of nutrients, thereby leading to continued indigestion. This source further states that antacids are useless for gas and bloating, and that CaCO3 antacids can cause a rebound effect in which the stomach produces more acid than before, once the antacid's effects wear off (Balch and Balch, 1997).
There also have been cases of people with self-diagnosed "heartburn" who really were on the verge of a heart attack, who should have been going to the emergency room instead of popping antacids.
Thus, while consumption of antacids may be necessary when prescribed by a doctor to treat gastric ulcer, casual use is probably not a good idea. Just because they are "over-the-counter" drugs does not mean they are harmless. "
Posted by empress
The digestion of proteins in the stomach begins when hydorchloric acid is released. Antacids are alkaline and thus neutralize the acid so the breakdown of proteins doesn't happen as efficiently.
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