Question

Your grandmother has had several episodes of acid-reflux recently. In order to enjoy the gastronomical celebrations of your commencement (yay! By the way, she's the one that brought that ginormous boquet of balloons just for you...), they consume a heaping helping of Tums (which contain alkaline ingredients and are often taken as an antacid.)

1. What effect would consuming a heaping helping of Tums have on acid-base balance?

2. What effect would this have on their digestive processes? Please be specific about the processes and the locations affected. What symptom(s) (other than a stomach ache) would they exhibit?

Answer 1

Ans 1) The Tums contain highly alkaline ingredients and hence it tends to impair the acid base balance of the body. The main ingredient in Tums is the calcium carbonate which is basic and as it is consumed and exposed to the HCl in the stomach, the carbonate tends to bind to the hydrogen. As it binds to the hydrogen, it reduces the concentration of acid which is free floating, and the calcium ion is freed up which is again absorbed in the body. When there is increase consumption of the Tums, it increases the concentration of absorbable calcium and when its concentration is high, it can increase the toxicity in the body. Hence, consuming too much of Tums can affect the acid base balance as it tends to decrease the concentration of free-floating acid.

Ans 2) When one consumes helping heap of tums, it tends to decrease the concentration of the free-floating sugar in the stomach. When it is present in the stomach, as the carbonate binds to the H it tends to increase the concentration of calcium. It impacts the digestive system as it reduces concentration of acid and sometimes the acid might not be enough for digestion. Hence it increases the concentration of calcium ions which is absorbed by the bones. However, if the calcium concentration is very high it tends to become toxic and especially to the heart and kidneys. It can cause some side effects and shows symptoms like constipation, gas and increase in burping. This happens due to the change in the acid base balance and increase in the concentration of the alkaline.