Gastric Acid: Hydrochloric Acid in the Human Stomach
Acid in the human stomach
When people refer to acid they usually see it as a corrosive liquid that can dissolve metals or change the color of a substance. So they think of acid as a dangerous matter for the body and believe it can easily dissolve your skin. What I have previously listed are indeed properties of certain acids, such as Hydrofluoric Acid which can cause irreversible tissue damage if it comes in contact with skin, but not all acids are this strong. As a matter of fact what a lot of people forget is that we have acid in our stomachs. The human stomach contains Hydrochloric Acid but when in the stomach, it is referred to as Gastric Acid.
It may be surprising that our stomachs contain Hydrochloric Acid because it is one of the 6 common strong mineral acids. It can kill bacteria, dissolve metals, it is highly corrosive and it has a strong acidity level since its pH is 0, which is around 1 million times more acid than pure water. But the human stomach is actually the place where this acid is naturally found. You may be wondering “why do our stomachs need such a harsh substance just to help digest our food?” and more importantly “how does it support this acid without being dissolved?”. Well all theses questions will be answered.
To answer the first question, the Hydrochloric Acid in our stomachs has a very important role for our digestion. It alters the natural qualities of the proteins in our food which makes them vulnerable when they’re attacked by an enzyme named pepsin. (Pepsin from the Latin word pepti which means digested) It also kills the bacteria that can be found in your food, protecting the body from harmful microbes.
Our stomachs support this acid without getting dissolved, being burnt because of the corrosiveness or getting digested, by protecting itself. Its shield is a secretion of sticky, neutralizing mucus that clings to the stomach walls; this is called an enteric coating. The stomach can also support the Hydrochloric Acid
When people refer to acid they usually see it as a corrosive liquid that can dissolve metals or change the color of a substance. So they think of acid as a dangerous matter for the body and believe it can easily dissolve your skin. What I have previously listed are indeed properties of certain acids, such as Hydrofluoric Acid which can cause irreversible tissue damage if it comes in contact with skin, but not all acids are this strong. As a matter of fact what a lot of people forget is that we have acid in our stomachs. The human stomach contains Hydrochloric Acid but when in the stomach, it is referred to as Gastric Acid.
It may be surprising that our stomachs contain Hydrochloric Acid because it is one of the 6 common strong mineral acids. It can kill bacteria, dissolve metals, it is highly corrosive and it has a strong acidity level since its pH is 0, which is around 1 million times more acid than pure water. But the human stomach is actually the place where this acid is naturally found. You may be wondering “why do our stomachs need such a harsh substance just to help digest our food?” and more importantly “how does it support this acid without being dissolved?”. Well all theses questions will be answered.
To answer the first question, the Hydrochloric Acid in our stomachs has a very important role for our digestion. It alters the natural qualities of the proteins in our food which makes them vulnerable when they’re attacked by an enzyme named pepsin. (Pepsin from the Latin word pepti which means digested) It also kills the bacteria that can be found in your food, protecting the body from harmful microbes.
Our stomachs support this acid without getting dissolved, being burnt because of the corrosiveness or getting digested, by protecting itself. Its shield is a secretion of sticky, neutralizing mucus that clings to the stomach walls; this is called an enteric coating. The stomach can also support the Hydrochloric Acid
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