Low Hcl

[lizard00]

I am interested to know how many of you produce low stomach acid? I am pretty sure that I do, but would like to hear from others. What are your symptoms?

[Looking for answers]

I do, so I eat smaller meals to compensate and take digestive enzymes. I just read the Eat Right for Your Blood Type book, and according to the research in the book, people with Type A blood, like me, have low stomach acid. Since reading that book I've switched to the recommended foods and am finding relief is so many ways - my stomach feels better, my mood is better and so are my energy levels.

[ndw3363]

I do (I'm type A blood too). My chiropractor put me on an HCl supplement that I take after my first bite of food (now only need it when I'm eating red meat or a heavy meal) and then I take digestive enzymes after a meal. Has really helped me. For the longest time, I thought I had heartburn because the pain is exactly the same. So I was taking antacids which was just making the problem worse.

[lizard00]

Thanks for your replies.

I'm an A, too. I bought the mini Eat Right book, but didn't really follow it. It could be worth another try. I rarely feel like I have heartburn. I feel like when I eat the food just lands in my stomach like a brick and stays that way for a couple of hours. My stomach feels really heavy and sometimes I'll get a slight headache for a couple of hours until I'm hungry again and don't want to eat. It's miserable and makes me not really want to do much. So I put off eating as long as possible, which I know is really bad.

I started taking HCL before I eat, and it has helped some. It seems quite obvious that I have low acid because I have taken as many as 4 tabs before eating and feel NO side effects whatsoever. Sometimes I think I need to take more, especially if I'm eating red meat, which I'm trying to eat less of.

Anyway, I'm still working it out. I decided to go to see my GI, moreso to make sure that there's nothing else going on.

[cahill]

I am AB+ and have low stomach acid. I have, in the past, avoided meats for that reason. Meats seemed imposable to digest and would just lay in my stomach.

Coffee seemed to raise my stomach acid to aid in digestion. I really noticed the difference when I gave up coffee.

[lizard00]

I am a coffee addict and have wondered if that had something to do with it. I'm also using this reason to justify drinking wine with dinner-- you know, it helps boost acid production!