Low stomach acid, or hypochlorhydria, is one of the most common root causes of digestive dysfunction and gut imbalances that I see in my practice. The stomach must be highly acidic in order to fully break down food (especially protein) and absorb it properly, so if we don’t have enough hydrochloric acid, we can also become deficient in vitamins and minerals. Pepsinogen is an enzyme that digests protein, and this enzyme only starts digesting protein in the presence of HCL.  Stomach acid is also key for sterilizing our food and killing off gut microbes, which is why low stomach acid can lead to microbial overgrowth. It also stimulates the release of bile from the gallbladder and digestive enzymes from the pancreas, closes the esophageal sphincter, and opens the pyloric sphincter. Clearly, having a sufficient amount of stomach acid is necessary for many parts of the digestive process to take place! This is why low stomach acid can lead to heartburn, GERD, leaky gut, IBD, bloating, constipation, SIBO, skin issues, malabsorption, constant hunger, and more.

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