Question

Prescription antacids are useful for treating peptic ulcers and allowing the stomach lining time to heal. Antacids, however, can actually increase the risk of contracting other bacterial and viral gastrointestinal diseases. How?

Answer 1

Antacids :-
• These are the drugs which decrease the efficiency of gastric juice and increase pH in stomach.
• Antacids act by various mechanisms like decreasing secretion of gastric acid and neutralizing the acid etc.

Gastric Acid -
• This acid has pH between 1.5 to 3.5.
• This pH of acid helps in digestion of food and killing of pathogens which are entered along with food.

Antacids and gastrointestinal diseases -
• Severe acidic pH of gastric acid is unfavorable for bacterial and viral growth and these pathogens killed here.
• During use of antacids, pH of stomach becomes less acidic and this condition unable to kill these pathogens. Pathogens are now able to survive and cause various gastrointestinal diseases.