Hello,
Started keto 3 weeks ago. I’m measuring at about 4.0 mmol. I am noticing an increase in stomach acid production. Never had a problem with it before?
Any ideas why this might be happening? I am also doing 18:6 fasting.
Any tips on how to reduce stomach acid?
Welcome to the forums!
Do you mean that your stomach acid is actually increasing, or that you are now noticing symptoms of acid reflux? Acid reflux is actually caused by insufficient stomach acid, not by too much, and the treatment for that is an occasional tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
If you search the forums for posts on stomach acid, you should find quite a few threads with useful information.
I’m noticing extra acid. I smoke (but only 5 a day) and since I fast I think my black coffees might be an additional culprit. I usually mix a bit of apple cider vinegar in water. Hoping this will help. Hope to completely give up the cigs next week, and maybe I will reduce my black coffee intake.
When you say “extra acid” could you elaborate just a bit? Have you ever had ulcers, or been diagnosed with reflux? Any meds ever taken for it? Is it painful, or just noisy?
In college (1970s) my diet consisted of black coffee, Jack Daniels, cigarettes, macaroni & cheese, and hot dogs. I was diagnosed with an ulcer. Eventually I cut out the Jack Daniels and, years later, cigarettes. Reflux eased a bit, but never really went away.
Today, I still thrive on my (1 mug) of morning black coffee and don’t eat anything until early afternoon. But since going keto 2+ years ago the acid reflux, which was getting a bit worse in recent years (waking up in the middle of the night with urge to purge), suddenly disappeared in 2-3 weeks. Gone. I’m convinced it was the carbs (perhaps in combination with the other junk, but removing the carbs did the trick).
So I’m wondering in your situation what exactly you mean by “extra acid” and how it feels since going keto vs. prior?
[BTW, welcome to the forum!]
Ulcers are caused by an infection with Helicobacter pylori, which is treatable with antibiotics. If @Caligula thinks he has an ulcer, then he needs to get a prescription for an antibiotic. Otherwise, an occasional tablespoon or two of vinegar should do the trick
Thanks for the welcome. No ulcers, no previous history of acid reflux. It’s just a mild discomfort at the bottom of my esophagus. I suspect it’s the smoking and 3 cups of black coffee in the morning (and more later in the evening after my feeding window is closed) is the culprit. I think I’ll just have one large black coffee in the morning and a smaller one in the evening and try to kick the cigarettes. I used to smoke 25 a day, now I’ve been down to 5 for the last week. I should be go to go. I usually ruck 2 kilometers in the morning and 2 kilometers in the evening, 30 minutes after my last meal. Then I will come home and have a black coffee at around 8:30-8:45pm. Maybe I should cut that out.
I’ve had an endoscopy recently for other issues and no h. pylori was detected. Probably just need to make a few changes.
Taking APC straight, wouldn’t that be harmful to the esophagus? I usually mix a tsp of it in with a glass of water.
The pH in your stomach is far lower (more acidic) than anything you could comfortably swallow. But as for the other factors, night-time black coffee and cigarettes (even 5/day) are not likely to accomplish whatever your health goals might be. 
EDIT: To clarify, I wasn’t intentionally suggesting that drinking pure vinegar would be ANYTHING comfortable! Sorry for being unclear.
Oh, full-strength acetic acid would probably kill us. But vinegar diluted to household strength is fine. But by all means, dilute it further with water, if you wish. No harm in that.
FWIW (point/counterpoint and all), I tried drinking ACV to stop my acid reflux and it made no difference at all. I drank the ACV full strength, thinking if the idea is our stomach acid is too weak and we need the acid to get that valve to close, anything less than full strength is going to be a weaker acid solution.
I spent years trying to get off the PPI, and that was just the OTC version of Prilosec, for years and going from Zantac to Pepcid AC to those plus Tums plus Mylanta, plus just about anything. Nothing ever worked as well for me as the Prilosec OTC or generic equivalent.
You’ve had your stomach acid concentration measured? Or you’re guessing because you have reflux? Low stomach acid (way more common) has the exact same symptoms. Have you posted a sample day or two of eating?
My mind is already focused on the fasting, are you eating a days worth of food in short time when you are eating?
Curious. A lifetime of indigestion, bloat and reflux went away within a couple weeks after starting to eat keto. I guess my body had been telling me for 71 years to cut the carbs and I finally got the memo - or understood it. Maybe your body is complaining about the change and it will pass. Or you’re eating something new or in too great quantity.
Me too. All my adult life was acid reflux and lots of antacid tablets. Reflux completely cured after a few weeks Keto. I have not needed a Tums tablet in 2+ years. KCKO.
Fascinating how many of us got permanent reflux relief within weeks of carb restriction. Food for thought.
May I correct that? Ulcers may be, or quite often are, caused by said bacteria.
Same thing here. A lifetime of wasting money on tablets. Turns out it was carbs.
Black coffee is guaranteed to cause me issues, and recently when I experimented using nicotine gum as a pre-workout that also caused heartburn.