According to Meenu Balaji, a nutritionist at Pragmatic Nutrition in Chennai (India), this test is widely applied by many people to determine whether you are susceptible to stomach acid by using baking soda. This method requires you to drink a little baking soda with water on an empty stomach.
Baking soda, an alkaline substance, will react with stomach acid and create carbon dioxide (air), leading to belching. The time you have shortness of breath will be used as an index to assess the acidity level in your stomach.
Nutritionist Balaji explains that our stomach produces hyd hyd hyd hydraulic acid to break down food in combination with other digestive enzymes. However, some people may experience excess acid, leading to the use of antacids. Conversely, insufficient production of stomach acid can also affect the digestion and absorption of nutrients, causing disorders in intestinal health.
However, nutritionist Balaji emphasizes that heartburn can occur for many different reasons, including high or low stomach acid levels, overgrowth gut bacteria (SIBO), eating too quickly or swallowing too much air. Therefore, relying on the phenomenon of belching alone is not enough to accurately determine the level of stomach acid.
Check your intestines with baking soda: Is it reliable?
Balaji said that baking soda intestinal health testing is not a standardized or widely recognized method. Some people with digestive problems may also experience belching even before eating, making it difficult to distinguish between baking soda belching and other medical conditions.
In addition, stomach acid levels can vary in each person and fluctuate throughout the day, which makes accurate assessment just by bloating more complicated.
According to experts, the best way to accurately determine stomach acid levels is to consult a doctor. Your doctor may recommend more in-depth tests, such as the pH Heidelberg test, to accurately assess your condition.
While a baking soda test can help you identify some basic signs, for accurate and reliable results, consulting a doctor is still the best choice.
