May 2010

Low Hydrochloric Levels Contribute to B12 Deficiency

The power of hydrochloric acid intake in guarding against b12 deficiency is well documented, yet underutilized in preventative health care.  Although rare in young people, it’s estimated about 20% of the elderly population (1-4)  is b12 deficient.  In 1994 the Framingham study by Lindenbaum et al (5) showed that 40% of the elderly subjects were b12 deficient, compared to 17.9% of the younger controlled subjects.

The elderly have a decreased amount of gastric acid which is responsible for breaking down and releasing vitamin b12 from the food.  Malabsorptoin of food due to insufficient hydrochloric acid levels can be corrected by taking hydrochloric acid supplements.

Even younger populations may need more hydrochloric acid.  Recently, I tested my own hydrochloric levels in October of 2009.  I had failed the test miserably and now take 1040 milligrams of HCL with every meal at 32 years of age!  It is very easy to take an HCL test at home (for instructions click here). [click to continue…]

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Normally the digestive system produces enough hydrochloric acid and enzymes to break down food.  However as a result of increased stress; Many people are not producing enough HCL and enzymes.  Those with low HCL levels are not able to get nutrients out of food, as they are simply passed through the intestinal tract with minimal absorption.  HCL deficiency causes a nutrient deficiency which in turn causes disease.

For information and how to test your HCL levels, read the article below:

http://www.siliconvalleyfit.com/hcl-acid-test.html

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UC Berkeley study shows an afternoon nap :

1. Increases your brain capacity to intake new information by 40%
2. Restores the hippocampus, a region of the brain that helps store fact-based memories
3. Clears the brain’s short-term memory storage and makes room for new information

Adin’s Comments:

I can remember back in my college years when I would take a late afternoon nap so I could have enough energy to study more, or go out and party.  This strategy worked well throughout my entire college experience, as I always felt refreshed and productive from napping.  After graduating college and entering the “real world”, life moved at a tremendous pace and I had unconsciously removed naps from my life.  Ten years later, I came to a painful realization my napping habit had been completely cut out. [click to continue…]

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Room temperature is far below the environmental temperature of your body.  Since probiotic species need to survive both hydrochloric acid produced by your stomach and core body temperature, refrigerating them is often unnecessary.  Most supplement companies suggest refrigeration on the label as a safeguard to make sure maximal survival numbers.

One opportunistic study done by Theralac concluded that only five percent of their probiotic cultures died off after accidental shipment to a home in Arizona where it sat on a doorstep in outside temperatures of over 100 degrees for seven days.  The company apologized to the customer and shipped out a duplicate supplement in refrigerated bags.  Therlac also retrieved the box left on the doorstep to be brought back to their lab to see how many cultures survived.  After the lab analysis they found that out of  the 20 billion cultures, only about 1 billion died as a result of being left out for seven days.  In the grand scheme of things, losing 1 billion cultures in a product that has about 20 billion is of trivial consequence. [click to continue…]

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