pH level in Human Stomach

 



  • Gastric acidgastric juice, or stomach acid is a digestive fluid formed within the stomach lining. With a pH between 1 and 3, gastric acid plays a key role in digestion of proteins by activating digestive enzymes, which together break down the long chain of amino acids of proteins.
  • The primary active component of gastric acid is Hydrochloric acid ( HCl ), which is produced by parietal cells in the gastric gland in the stomach. The secretion is a complex and relatively energetically expensive process. Parietal cells contain an extensive secretory network (called canaliculi) from which the "hydrochloric acid" is secreted into the lumen of the stomach. The pH of gastric acid is 1.5 to 3.5 in the human stomach lumen, a level maintained by the proton  pump.
  • A typical adult human stomach will secrete about 1.5 liters of gastric acid daily. Gastric acid secretion is produced in several steps. Chloride and hydrogen ions are secreted separately from the cytoplasm of parietal cells and mixed in the canaliculi. Gastric acid is then secreted into the lumen of the gastric gland and gradually reaches the main stomach lumen.
  • High levels of stomach acid can lead to heartburn, acid reflux, and ulcers. Low levels of stomach acid may impair your ability to digest food.

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