Date:   12/26/2009 9:16:45 PM ( 15 y ago)
Hits:   4,225
URL:   https://www.curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1545169

  I guess at this time of day the stomach doesn't need to be very acidic, so maybe the alkalinity reaches the small intestine which is meant to be alkaline.

Not necessarily. The pH varies depending on the section of the intestine and it will also vary according to whether digesed food is passing through. We have beneficial acid forming bacteria throughout the intestines.

http://www.chemcases.com/pheno/pheno14.htm

As the chyme enters in to the small intestine the stomach acid has to be neutralized so compounds are released raising the pH in parts of the small intestine. So there is no set pH for the small intestine. It actually fluctuates.

I have often wondered if taking bicarb between meals might not stimulate stomach acid creation, so that more is available at mealtimes. I know that taking Betaine HCL with meals tends to downregulate the production of stomach acid, so logically wouldn't bicarb upregulate it?

No, in fact this can lead to further reductions of stomach acids. Many of the nutrients required for stomach acid formation such as zinc and some B vitamins are acid dependent for absorption. By neutralizing the stomach acid the absorption of these nutrients are inhibited leading to a further decline in stomach acid. This is the problem we see with aging and the use of antacids and acid blockers. As we age stomach acid starts declining. This leads to a loss of nutrients to form more stomach acid. Unfortunately the lack of stomach acid also leads to heartburn so people tend to use antacids and acid blockers. Since these neutralize or block stomach acid they lead to further nutritional deficiencies lowering stomach acid even further and making the risk of heartburn even greater.

Might not this kill lots of yeast in the small bowel (bicarb is very effective yeast killer)

Not necessarily. Alkalinity can actually promote Candida overgrowth and aggressiveness by converting the Candida from its benign yeast form in to its highly aggressive and invasive fungal form. Acidity keeps Candida in its yeast form. I cover this here:

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1452732#

Although in a sufficient concentration sodium bicarbonate could kill off some of the Candida by creating a severe osmotic shift, not by neutralizing acids. But this is temporary and the alkalinity will quickly lead to a Candida rebound.

and also stimulate the stomach to create more acid for when it's needed.

This can lead to a decline of stomach acid. As we age the risk of chronic hypochlorhydria increases and the stomach acid has a harder time rebounding. The real turning point is around the age of 40, when stomach acidity really starts on a downward decline.

A bonus would be all the supposed health benefits of an alkaline body.

A lot of this is a myth. Being too alkaline is just as dangerous as being too acidic. This is why the body has so many redundant mechanisms to maintain its narrow pH range and why acidosis and alkalosis are so rare. But trying to force the body in to a particular pH just makes the system work that much harder to get itself back in to a proper balance. 

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