How Heartburn Antacids Destroy Nutritional Iron and Make You a Weakling
Iron is the center of the hemoglobin, molecule - red blood cell. This molecule travels through your blood and delivers oxygen to all of your cells. Your cells use oxygen to burn or breakdown various molecules into chemicals that you give energy and life.
When you lack of iron, you lack oxygen in your body. This lack of iron is called anemia. Your body becomes weak and tired. Muscle become weak and you can become disoriented at times.
In some clinical studies, people with low stomach acid were found to be anemic. But, how does this happen? For iron to be absorbed in the small intestine, it has to be in liquid form. The stomach must produce iron in liquid form and pass it into the small intestine.
Your stomach acid level or pH determines how much iron you will absorb. To work like it should, your stomach acid should have a pH of 1.0 - 3.0 and not much higher. When the pH of your stomach increases above 3.0, your stomach acidic action is decreasing. On the pH scale, a pH of 7.0 is a neutral value and this is the pH of water. Higher pH numbers are considered alkaline.
If you mix an alkaline solution with an acidic solution the resulting solution contain less acid and the acid pH will move toward 7.0. This is what happens when you take an antacid for heartburn or acid reflux. Much of the acid is neutralized and the pH of your stomach acid moves above 3.0 and become 4.0 and higher.
When you eat meat and take an antacid or drugs, your stomach pH will increases to 4.0 or 5.0, and you will still absorb the iron in the meat. Meat has a type of iron that remains in solution even at pH levels higher than 4.0.
But when you eat grains, fortified foods, and vegetables, your stomach acid needs to be pH 3.0 or lower to keep the iron in these foods in solution. When your stomach pH is higher than 3.0, then it is difficult for your stomach to get the iron embedded in the fibers, dissolve it, and keep it in solution. Instead the iron will precipitate out into a solid making it unavailable to be absorbed in the intestine. Then it is quickly routing into the colon and out of your body.
Antacids increase your stomach acid above 3.0 making it difficult to dissolve iron from grains and vegetables. If this situation continues for long time, this can lead to anemia, where you become tired, weak, un-energetic, and depressed.
If you have low iron and are anemic, make sure you dont take antacid. If you take drugs, drugs also increase you stomachs pH and block the absorption of iron. Talk to your doctor, if you are anemic and are taking a prescription drug.
Rudy Silva is a natural nutritionist and has a degree in Physics degree from San Jose State University. To learn more about an excellent heartburn and acid reflux ebook go to:
http://www.heartburn-relief.for--you.com
