...have some impact on food digestion? Don't we need stomach acids for proper digestion? What have the studies about this shown?
2007-01-24 09:45:33 · 8 answers · asked by I hate friggin' crybabies 5 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
Excellent question! Most of the work of digestion is done in the small intestine, so acid suppression has minimal impact on digestion. Acid's physiologic effects do cause some minimal breakdown of fats and protein, but the main purpose may be to kill invasive organisms (parasites and bacteria). Since most western diets are relatively free of contaminants, you probably will not have a problem because you are on medication.
As far as taking apple cider vinegar, it makes no sense to take acid (acetic acid or vinegar) to treat an acid problem.
There is some concerns that profound lond term acid suppression may induce or increase the risk of certain tumors. Some animal models have show an increase G-cells in the stomach, which raises the concern that people on profound acid suppression might be more likely to develop a rare tumor called gastrinoma. However, as far as I am aware no one has detected this in people.
Proton pump inhibitiors (Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid etc.) almost complete shut down acid production. Prilosec has been available almost 20 years in Europe and about 15 years in the US. I suppose it is possible that eventually we might see a lot of tumors developing in people who take these medications for a long time. Therefore, as with most medical problems, if you can solve or prevent problems with dietary and life-style modification that is the was to go. However, GERD and ulcer disease can be very serious problems, so I would recommend taking your medication as perscribed if you have significant symptoms or complications of your disease.
2007-01-24 10:11:59 · answer #1 · answered by Jeffrey P 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think a little more research should be done on your part. The fact is there are many people in the world that have over active acid production. These medicines do not shut down the acid producing glands they simply slow the process down. Then a proper dosage is determined and the lower levels are maintained through treatment. And the fact is these medicines are not for everyone, there are some people who will suffer gastrointestinal side effects due to lower than normal stomach acids. There really is no general statement that can be made about medicine, everyone is different and for some it will work great and others it will not.
2007-01-24 10:03:02 · answer #2 · answered by SeTh 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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2016-12-20 06:44:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-12-22 07:05:06 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They do not shut down ALL acid production. They reduce the acid production for those people who are producing too much acid in their stomach, causing heartburn, acid reflux, etc.
2007-01-24 09:52:05 · answer #5 · answered by Tissigirl 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You really need to go to the doctor, this is nothing like acid reflux. Edit: Being a smart *** by telling you to seek help from a medical profession instead of Y!A? God how rude of me!
2016-03-14 23:26:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A better option for acid reflux treatment is ingesting Apple Cider Vinegar. It beats taking med's as an all-natural alternative and it does work, try it.
good luck.
2007-01-24 09:51:49 · answer #7 · answered by krd004 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
It only works on excess acid. You will still be able to digest food with no problem.
2007-01-24 09:53:05 · answer #8 · answered by notyou311 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋