The level of stomach acid you produce can decrease as you get older, which can have a knock-on effect on how well you digest and then absorb your food. Find out why this happens, and what you can do to help things.
ON AVERAGE, YOUR STOMACH produces about 1.5 litres of acid a day.
Its job is to break down the food you eat so other parts of your digestive system can extract nutrients from it, and it’s also your body’s first line of defence against any bacteria or other pathogens you might swallow.
Previously, it was believed that stomach acid declined naturally with age, but recent studies have discovered that’s not technically true. In the absence of factors that cause acid production to drop, people in their 90s produce the same amount of stomach acid as those in their 20s and 30s. The problem is, most of us end up with one of those factors and, as such, past the age of 65, your acid production may fall by as much as 30 per cent.
‘There are many reasons why stomach acid production can fall,’ says Sarah Grant, nutritional therapist at Gut Reaction (g utreaction.co.uk). ‘You may carry a bacteria called Heliobactor pylori, which produces enzymes that neutralise acid, or you could have gut inflammation caused by stress, food sensitiv ities or other irritants that affect its levels. A nother factor is medication, which can impact levels of stomach acid, the most common being proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) commonly prescribed to tackle acid reflux.’
When stomach acid levels fall, digestion slows down and this can lead to food spending longer in your stomach than it should. As this happens it can start to ferment, which leads to problems such as bloating, belching, stomach upsets, indigestion and, ironically, heartburn and acid reflux. ‘People I see with low stomach acid often complain that it feels like they have a brick in their stomach after eating,’ says Sarah. But while these effects are uncomfortable, they generally aren’t serious. Problems arise when low stomach acid impacts on your ability to digest nutrients. Studies on long-term users of PPIs have show n an increased risk of deficiencies in vitamins B12 and C, as well as the minerals calcium, iron and potassium caused by low acid levels – and over time these deficiencies can cause more serious health problems.
INCREASE YOUR LEVELS
The good news is that finding out if you have low stomach-acid levels is quick and easy and, even better, it’s an easy(ish) fix. The first step is to ensure that it is actually low stomach acid that’s behind your sy mptoms – many other conditions can also cause bloating and digestive upset. You can be tested for low stomach acid medically, but there’s a simple at-ho
