What is hydrochloric acid supplement and why is it considered crucial for people looking to add muscle mass, lose body fat and train hard? Here's the low-down on hydrochloric acid and why we recommend it for body composition.
How often do you think about your stomach acid? Yeah, not often! Trouble is, stomach acid and your digestive health are crucial if you want to gain muscle or lose fat. Sooner or later, your body recomp efforts will grind to a halt if your gut health isn't great.
Why? Good gut health - including stomach acid levels - help your body break down the food and protein supplements you eat and ensure you actually absorb all the macronutrients, micronutrients and amino acids. Without proper digestion and absorption, half of what you eat (and spend your dollars on) goes… well, you can imagine where!
So, fix your gut health before you spend cash on another supplement or worry about crunching the numbers of your weekly refeed macros. Here's our single best bit of advice for better gut health:
Optimal levels of hydrochloric acid (HCL) - which you can take as a safe, effective supplement
The fluid stomach acid, which breaks down food in your stomach, contains potassium chloride, sodium chloride - and hydrochloric acid (HCL). Many people have trouble producing enough HCL. Stomach acid activity promotes digestive enzymes and is central to the usability of protein (it sort of unravels the long chains of amino acids and branch chain amino acids). In fact it does the following:
- Absorbs at least eight essential nutrients (calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, vitamins B9 and 12 and vitamin C, and beta carotene)
- Breaks down protein so it can be used to build and repair muscle
- Activates important enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters
- Stops bacterial pathogens from entering the lower GI tract, causing infection and potentially disease
Recognise any of these symptoms? They could well mean you are deficient in hydrochloric acid and would do well to add a HCL supplement to your stack for health, muscle gain, and fat loss.
- Burping or acid reflux after eating
- Foggy brain or poor cognitive function
- Bloating - constipation and indigestion
- Food allergies, intolerances - bad skin, acne, dull skin
- Vertical ridging or white marks on fingernails
- Leg and foot cramps
- Injuries which won't seem to heal
Why do lots of people suffer from dangerously low levels of stomach acid? There are tons of reasons, the main ones being:
- Age
- The stomach’s ability to produce HCL decreases by about 1% per year
- So those of you in your 30s are producing 30-40% less than when you were born. And I bet you're eating a lot more (and a lot more rubbish!)
- Oxidative stress and inflammation due to bad diet choices, modern foods, chemicals and food processing
- Stress and cortisol elevation from lifestyle stress, training stress, dieting, poor sleep and more…
- Use of antacids and other stomach acid medications
Supplement with hydrochloric acid (HCL) to give your guts a helping hand, and actually make sure all that food you're eating (including protein shakes) are being put to good use. You'll feel better, perform better, sleep better - and get the body you're aiming for! Don't neglect gut health. Try a hydrochloric acid (HCL) supplement and let us know how things improve for you.
