Are there any dangers to taking HCL Pepsin supplement long term?

[Bansaw]

I've switched to HCL pills because the Julapium was awfully sweet and the pharmacy was fussy about making it to my preferences. They are tiresome anyway and hcl pills I can order online.

Can I ask what HCl supplement you buy that works?

 

[dannybex]

Thanks. Do you feel like it helped digestion in any way? I theorise that I am simply not getting enough vitamins, minerals and Amino acids from my food. I did a mineral hair test 2 months ago and I am way low. I am supplemenitng now with iconic liquid minerals, Selenium, Iron, Molybdenum, Zinc, Copper etc.
I am sure if I help my digestion I will be able to assimilate more of these crucial elements I need.

It may have helped early on, but definitely hasn't made any difference during the last couple of years, if not longer, plus it may have caused metabolic acidosis in the process. Supplementing with trace minerals is probably a good idea.

 

[Bansaw]

/Supplementing with trace minerals is probably a good idea.

I might do that. At the moment I am wondering which brand is best. I heard some contain higher levels of mercury than others. Also, if you take copper and zinc together they cancel each other out.

 

[dannybex]

Also, if you take copper and zinc together they cancel each other out.

Not so sure they 'cancel each other out', especially if they're coming from food sources (nuts, etc.), but if zinc is too high from supplements, then yes, copper gets trapped:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/zinc

 

[Bansaw]

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/zinc

One encouraging thing is that I took some Zinc supplement then some Zinc Assay and, whereas beforehand the zinc was tasteless, now its tasting metalic, so at least its getting in there.
I have to re-do the mineral hair test to see if the other minerals I was lacking have assimilated.

 

[Richard7]

Bansaw,

Acid softens your tooth enamel, So if you take some cider vinegar, for example, you then use a bit of bicarb to bring your mouth back to neutral before eating so that your teeth can better witstand the pressure of grinding food etc.

Using it after eating acid foods is to harden the teeth up so that they can be cleaned and/or better resist bacteria.

 

[Richard7]

Can I ask what HCl supplement you buy that works?

I have used Dr's Best and Country Life. I prefer the Country Life, but it is a slight preference not a large one. All the brands reviewed on Iherb seem to have about 4.5stars.

Oh and I take a lot more than woolpippi usually 6 tablets.

If you were wanting to take partial tablets the Dr's best is a powder in a capsule that you could divide between several capsules, the Country life is a coated tablet.

Woolpippi is clearly having no issues with pieces of tablets but I would be a bit worried about the acid burning a bit on the way down.

 

[WoolPippi]

Can I ask what HCl supplement you buy that works?

I use Lamberts Betaine HCL, 324 mg per pill. It also contains 5 mg Pepsine per pill. They are white and coated. Only when I cut them in half is there acid released in my mouth and throat. When they are whole it's not released until it's in the stomach.

Foods require different strengths and volumes of stomach acid. For example: bread requires big volume, not strong. Protein needs less volume, high strength.
I've found limiting meals to just one needed "signature" of stomach acid helps my digestion.

 

[heyitisjustin]

That might worry me even more since the tablet could lodge half way down the gullet and bore a hole with mediastinitis and death. That used to happen with potassium tablets. It might well generate a feeling of warmth just before it perforates! The reason I suspect it does not do so is that there probably isn't much in the tablet! If there was enough to improve digestion I think people would be queuing up for stricture surgery by now.

The pepsin might help people with no pepsin but I thought the problem was supposed to be low acid.

This was a concern of mine too. I am using bitters (gentian) too let my body generate the HCL on its own. There are other risks to that I imagine, but since I sometimes feel like pills get stuck somewhere on there way down I am not risking taking HCL pills