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The Effect of Too Much Stomach Acid on a Colon

Stomach acid dissolves the connective-tissue proteins that form the framework of food, while also killing most of the bacteria that enter with food, yet it leaves the tissues of the colon unharmed.

  1. High Acidity

    • The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve iron nails, according to the book "Biology, Fifth Edition," by Neil Campbell et al.

    Carcinogenic Effects

    • Many studies suggest that bile acids can genetically damage the epithelial cells lining the colon, resulting in colon cancer, notes Dr. Carol Bernstein, M.D., of the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

    Differentiation

    • Bile acids, however, are not stomach acid. Whereas bile comes from the liver, the acid in your stomach comes from cells in your stomach's lining, according to Arthur Vander, James Sherman and Dorothy Luciano in their book "Human Physiology, Eighth Edition."

    Neutralization

    • Long before stomach acid can reach your colon, bicarbonate ions from the pancreas and liver neutralize it, state Vander, Sherman and Luciano.

    Colon's Intake

    • Stomach acid might worsen stomach ulcers, note Campbell et al. But stomach acid never reaches the colon, which normally receives only a small volume of water, salts and undigested material, observe Vander, Sherman and Luciano.

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