Gastric acid is actually an equivalency of natural hydrochloric acid produced by our body. It is a very strong acid such that if poured to a wooden table in a concentrated form can dig a hole just like the laboratory or artificial hydrochloric acid does. It is an important component of the digestive system and performs multiple functions. It is an important digestive substance secreted for complete breakdown of food in the stomach. Food in the mouth is broken down by chewing with your teeth with the help of salivary enzymes. Chewed food is sent to the stomach through the esophagus in a soft form or small particles and the gastric acid will further complete the breakdown before it is released to the intestines for absorption and assimilation processes to take place. Deficiency in the gastric acid production can lead to incomplete digestion or breakdown of food. The end result is that there will be decreased absorption and assimilation processes to take place. From this point of view, we all agree that God was merciful to install this physiological mechanism. Vitamins and minerals are obtained by the body through absorption and assimilation processes. Vitamins and minerals contribute to proper function of our immunity. Without complete gastric digestion, you will have patients with multiple vitamins and mineral deficiency. There may be cases of constipation that have been linked to low gastric acid production as proved by some clinical trials. What happens is that when a person starts to eat, the stomach is stimulated to produce gastric acid and this activates the chief cells in the middle portion of the stomach to start secreting a protein-digesting enzyme known as pepsinogen. Pepsinogen requires the presence of gastric acid in order to begin digesting a special dietary component that only occurs in the stomach and this is the protein nutrient. It should carefully be noted that the major role of gastric acid is to activate pepsinogen into pepsin that will act on proteins. Carbohydrate digestion is reduced in the stomach, and protein digestion starts. While eating, the gastric acid increases gradually. When it gets to a level high enough that normally takes about 30 minutes after eating, it neutralises enzymes from the mouth and filters the entry of food substance into the stomach against; bacteria, parasites, viruses that enter with the food from the mouth. Remember the mouth is a point of entry to the body. The mouth does possess thousands of micro-organisms due to various reasons and among them rising from the dental area. Imagine when you take roasted maize on dirty coils from some suburbs like Gatsata and food is allowed to follow its trajectory all the way to the intestines, surgeons would open your abdomen from time to time due to various intestinal complications arising from infection or overproduction of toxic micro-organisms. There are many consequences associated with decreased gastric acid production in the stomach. There are also very many causes of low gastric secretion in the stomach but my focus today is the stress factor. Due to current social-political and economic transformations, people have also to pay attention with the health perspective of the challenge. Stress is mainly associated with stimulation of an increased production of gastric acid as seen in some people with peptic ulcers. However, gastric acid secretion can also be inhibited by prolonged or chronic stress or worry. People with low grade, long-term and emotionally oriented life stress are mostly affected here as seen in some gender based violence cases. Increased gastric acid secretion and occurrence of peptic ulcer disease is highly associated with high stress situations or desire for high achievement. However, as the stress continues, the body is exhausted and the gastric production is no longer adequate and in turn causes low production of acid. People who develop this inhibitory process will suffer low acid secretion and ultimately suffer from multiple vitamins and mineral deficiency. The majority of individuals here will develop a weakened immune system and due to weak immunity people can easily succumb to various medical illnesses. Dr Joseph Kamugisha is a resident oncologist in Jerusalem, Israel
