-
H pylori and stomach acid
Hi. I was reading a post on H pylori here and saw Daniel’s comment about food to avoid and vinegar was included.Is apple cider vinegar should be avoided too? Many functional drs support taking ACV.
Can you please clarify this very specific point regarding h pylori and stomach acid to be specific I.
So, pylori flourish when stomach acid is low and also it can deplete stomach acid. Shouldn’t we support stomach acid in this case?I’ve read once that when people take the conventional treatment, antacid is included which promote h pylori to return.
So if stomach acid is in good place it should suppress h pylori, right?
Questioning here the use of ACV and even HCL supplement in case of H Pylori, technically should be helpful.
-
43 Replies
-
Hey ,
It is the environment of a fully functional stomach that changes and keeps H. Pylori in balance. If the environment changes, that could give rise to an overgrowth of H. Pylori.
When there is an H. Pylori infection present, the inflammation caused by the infection can damage the stomach lining. Usually, I like to help rebuild the stomach lining and address the infection before stimulating the acidity of the stomach. The acid, when the stomach lining is damaged, can irritate the stomach.
I know apple cider vinegar has some benefits. But it is still acidic in nature. There is anecdotal evidence that apple cider vinegar (ACV) helps with acid reflux. Studies unfortunately are hard to find. This 2022 review has this to say about ACV and acid reflux:
“ACV was used in the gum formulation mentioned above, and while subjects found beneficial effects in relief of heartburn and acid reflux, it is challenging to elucidate whether this effect was due to the ACV or the other ingredients.”That doesn’t mean you can’t use it, that’s not why I’m sharing this. The research isn’t clear on it. The evidence for that is anecdotal.
Here are some tips if you like to use apple cider vinegar.
• Start low and slow by diluting 1-2 tablespoons with water to reduce the acidity and see how someone responds. With ulcers, people can react really sensitively to apple cider vinegar and I would stop if someone doesn’t react well to it.
• ACV wouldn’t be my approach to fighting an H. Pylori overgrowth. Mastic gum, Matula Tea or some recommendations from this video are better backed up by research. And although ACV helps anecdotally with reducing acid reflux, fighting H. Pylori is more specific.
• We use different strategies to heal the gut lining, but they are also explained in the same video.I was wondering what inspired you to ask this question. Is it something you like to use or recommend?
-
Konrad,
I personally used Mastic gum after consulting with Daniel, B. and referring to the course.
I also took Vitmains A, C, D, E and K as wells as Zinc L Carnosine.
Oh, B complex too.
-
I’d also like to chime in. I know it can be confusing, but the issue is all about timing of when to create a more acidic environment when addressing an H Pylori overgrowth.
Low stomach acid (which has various root cause reasons) creates the opportunity for H Pylori to overgrow. So I can understand why one would think that increasing stomach acid is the solution, however research shows that creating a more acidic environment with an overgrowth will just cause the H Pylori to burrow even further into its famous urease-promoting bubble.
So the strategy is all about timing. First address the H Pylori overgrowth with supportive herbs for 30-90 days depending on how entrenched the case is. Doctors use antacids along with antibiotics. The same can be done with baking soda between meals. It’s a sort of “bait and kill” strategy. The alkaline environment created by the antacids or baking soda helps pull them out from their hiding spot, and then the antibiotics or herbs kill them.
Only after the overgrowth is eradicated do we then support with HCL during meals to prevent re-infection/overgrowth.
Hope that makes sense.
-
I am reading a lot at the moment as I have my results for pylori not positive but intermediate 137 (positive >200) and negative <50
And I’ve read about the acid being low can cause even pylori. I’m not a practitioner tho 🙂 -
how much mastic gum? 1-3 g usually
-
yes definitely thank you
-
I took 500mg in the morning and 500mg last thing at night. I couldn’t tolerate anymore. Please drink plenty of water when taking it.
-
I did 2g few years ago and I was fine and Omar some point did 3G at the beginning. May I ask how long did you take it and did you repeat the test?
-
I think I took it for 2 months but I had been supporting my immune system since end of last year with the vitamins I mentioned above.
Yes, I repeated the test and it was below detectable limit with diagnostics laboratory. The people who do the GI map. However, this time round I just did the standalone H. Pylori test.
-
one more question if you don’t mind. How much baking soda and how many times a day? Also any way to go around citrus consumption? I usually have it in salad dressing. Just curious
-
1/4 to 1/2 tsp in 250 ml is the general recommendation between meals twice per day along with the anti-microbials.
And just to clarify, unless there is gastritis, a little lemon juice in salad dressings won’t cause any issues. Issues can arise when increasing acidity with HCL betaine supplementation while having an overgrowth. Hope that helps.
-
thanks a lot
-
are fermented veggies like sauerkraut problematic food for pylori?
-
Hey ,
They aren’t a problem for H. Pylori. This study for example mentions that probiotics can compete with H. Pylori. Some strains can even help manage symptoms and help the stomach lining.
The next quote comes from this study:
“Lactobacilli and other such probiotics including Bifidobacterium, Bacillus licheniformis, and saccharomyces are currently in use and are proven to be effective in managing the gastrointestinal symptoms related to H. pylori. ”In some cases, it has been reported that therapy with only S. boulardii and L. johnsonni helped eradicate H. Pylori.
So in conclusion, it is not problematic. It can even be beneficial. I wouldn’t recommend using only probiotics to eradicate H. Pylori though.
But in functional medicine, it is important to ask the question, ‘Why?’. Why is the overgrowth there in the first place?
To answer your question earlier (I’m sorry I missed it for some reason!), having low stomach acid can cause an environment for H. Pylori to overgrow.
Low stomach acid can be caused by a variety of reasons. Stress, a slow thyroid, excess sugar or alcohol. Taking a lot of mineral supplements can also cause low acidity in the stomach because minerals can neutralize the acid produced in the stomach.
These studies aren’t focused on finding and treating the root cause of an overgrowth of H. Pylori. This is probably why different studies have different outcomes. Some people react to natural treatments, while others respond less.
It would be good when you’re reducing your H. Pylori, to think about what might be at play and address these reasons as well!
-
thank you asking about sauerkraut because earlier you said to stay away from acidic food such as cooked tomato and lemon. So I thought it’s the same for pylori. I know the root cause, it was stress for sure.
Regarding stomach acid yes this is why I was surprised that we can boost it since low stomach acid makes good environment fir h pylori
Log in to reply.
