Acid in Foods Increased Absorption........

-Acid in Foods- I have a little, teeny bit of info to share- And - I'm fishing for a little more from Our resident Bio-Chemist, Linn. Ok, I've been looking into Mal-absorption lately. Not an obsession, just a concern. In my case, I had proximal RNY so not a HUGE issue But- I've come to find out, That due to my complications early on (profile) I ended up with a Proximal And some selective "Extra Removals." My start of the WLS journey had an unfortunate Bowel Rupture, Peritonitis, My intestines partially digesting themselves, etc... Bad! The surgeons pulled off a miracle of a restoration But that included the removal of some necrotic tissue- Inch of duodenum here, A little of the jejunum there, Inch here and there of the ileum, And a smidgen of the colon. I'm a bit of a Gastric Quilt. I've come to believe that this may be why I dropped to My goal weight without much hassle. Sort of a - Bypass with a "side order of removals." So on to my actual info. I teach at a University with a rather acclaimed School of Pharmacy. I sit on a committee with A Bio-Chemist from the Pharmacy School. (Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology) He asked me- "How did you lose all of that weight?!?!" "The 'Al Roker Diet'" Wink Wink And that opened the door For discussion about "G-by-pass" and Mal-absorption. He was WAY Knowledgeable about the difficulty With Iron & Calcium due to the lack Of Normal Stomach Acid digestion. (It was like talking to Diana Cox) So what the heck, I picked his brain, And he did pass on some useful info. It seems that just about any acid Will start the "break down" Of Iron and Calcium, Even protein for absorption. He recommended fruit juice or tomatoes With food. For example, Chicken, Cooked in diced tomatoes Would be more readily absorbed Than just the same Chicken Without the acidity of the tomatoes. He suggested taking supplements With a sip of fruit juice. He also said the absorption Of all minerals is improved By including some mild acid. For example, Vinaigrette dressing on salads Rather than a creamy dressing. I asked about the Papaya enzymes that we see Folks talk about out here on the boards for Helping to pass blocked stomas. It seems the same enzymes Are contained in pineapple in higher concentrations. Those enzymes don't just "dissolve" the food They begin to "digest" it. And Pineapple has the added benefit Of Higher acid levels. So - I'm launching into a several new recipe experiments To aid in the digestion and absorption of my nutrients. Pineapple Curry Chicken, Tuna- Slow cooked in fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce, Balsamic braised Center Cut Pork Chops With Pineapple Salsa, etc... I'm going to try including some level of acid In all of my cooking for a while. It's easy enough with Italian food, Trickier with traditional. He also confirmed the much discussed Calcium Carbonate vs Citrate. He declared Cal-Citrate the clear winner. Also confirmed the - "Iron and Calcium compete for the same receptors" Business, and also recommended separating Their consumption. Any Thoughts? Recipes? Acid/absorption info? Linn? Share? Best Wishes- Dx

Thank you for sharing this info. It cleared up some things that I had been wondering about.

I had always heard to take iron w/ OJ or vit C (ascorbic acid)

Some of the things I've looked at lately regarding absorption are that the nutrients being absorbed must be small enough to bind the receptors. Too big and they can't bind/be absorbed. In order to get them small enough, the body has this wonderful schedule of how things get secreted into the intestines. I'll reply further tonight when I have my handy-dandy text at my fingertips for more details, but the main idea is that certain parts of the digestive system cause certain messages to be sent out. Without certain enzymes, etc. certain nutrients will not get small enough, thus not absorbed. Linn

I"m not Linn, but there are some medications that some take that the pineapple affect adversely. I think Grapefruit has the same reaction on some meds also. I try and stay away from the pineapple If I know I'm taking one that it will affect. Darlene

Darlene, I've actually taken something, Way back in my past, I recall, That came with the warning on the Pharmacy label, to "Not take with Grapefruit juice." Now a days my only med is Coumadin And I chew it prior to swallowing. Other than that, just supplements. What interacts with pineapple? Best Wishes- Dx

Sounds like a cogent argument to me. What would be the implications for those who take proton-pump inhibitors such as Protonix, Asiphex, etc for gastric irritations? Nowhere Man/PH/Jay

Jay, Although I'm sure it can be administered In many different ways, Protonix is usually given as an enteric- coated tablet So that the absorption begins only after The tablet passes through the stomach. I don't know if that is to "protect" the pantoprazole From the stomach acids or "protect" the stomach From the pantoprazole. (Protonix is pantoprazole, right?) (If so, I was on it [generic] for a little while for GERD prior to WLS) If given in that common form I don't imagine that the Pouch, even with some tomato juice in it, Would breakdown the outer coating "quick enough." My Doc has said- "nothing with enteric coating," But that may just be for me and my system. This WLS business brings up enough questions To keep a team of specialist going for a while. I just keep picking the brains of my Docs, And asking them what must seem like "The Most Random" questions, at every visit. Eventually between the lot of us, We may have a tome of somewhat useful info. Best Wishes- Dx

If a person does take something to reduce gastric Ph, how will that impact nutritional uptake? If if was it too high to begin with, will the lowered Ph still be adequate for absorbsion? If they lower the Ph to allow for healing or comfort, are they increasing their risk of deficiencies? Inquiring Minds want to know! Nowhwere Man/PH/Jay

Hi Dx--Sorry to read in another thread about your Dad's illness. During my recovery from plastic surgery I have taken Bromelain, which is supposed to aid in reducing swelling. Anyway--why I bring this up is because it is actually derived from pineapple and is marketed as helping with digestion. Have a good night.