Digestive Symptoms, Reflux, and the Acid Paradox: Why Suppression Often Worsens the Problem

Have you noticed that reflux often persists despite avoiding acidic foods or taking acid-suppressing medication? Or that heartburn shows up alongside bloating, heaviness after meals, or poor tolerance to protein? If that sounds familiar, the issue may not be “too much acid” at all.

Reflux and heartburn are commonly blamed on excess stomach acid. That assumption has shaped decades of treatment. Yet clinical observation and biochemistry tell a different story. In many cases, reflux reflects impaired digestion and insufficient gastric acid.

Stomach acid is not just about acidity. Hydrochloric acid is required to denature proteins, activate pepsin, ionise minerals such as iron, zinc, and magnesium, release vitamin B12 from food, and limit bacterial overgrowth. Without adequate acid, digestion slows down.

When acid levels are low, protein digestion remains incomplete. Larger protein fragments move into the small intestine, where they ferment. Pressure builds. Gastric emptying slows. Have you noticed symptoms are worse after large meals or when eating quickly? This combination can disrupt the lower oesophageal sphincter and allow reflux to occur — even when acid levels are low.

In my own work, I use a simple functional gut health assessment that looks at markers of gut inflammation and barrier stress. It doesn’t diagnose disease. It simply shows whether the gut environment is calm or irritated. When inflammation is elevated, digestion becomes more sensitive and symptoms are amplified. That information gently guides food choices and lifestyle adjustments before things escalate.

What happens when acid suppression continues long-term? Digestive signalling downstream is affected. Pancreatic enzyme release declines. Bile flow is reduced. Over time, this increases the risk of deficiencies in iron, vitamin B12, magnesium, and fat-soluble vitamins, and promotes dysbiosis.

From a physiological point of view, reflux is often a coordination problem rather than an acid problem. Stress, low vagal tone, rushed eating, poor chewing, and micronutrient depletion all reduce gastric secretion. Instead of asking how to suppress acid, it’s more useful to ask what’s stopping digestion from doing its job properly.

From a broader systems view, this pattern has been recognised for centuries. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, reflux reflects a failure of digestion to move downward smoothly, often due to weakened digestive function rather than excess. Ayurveda describes a similar state as low or unstable Agni, the digestive fire needed to transform food efficiently. In both traditions, stress, irregular eating, and nutrient depletion are seen as key disruptors of digestion.

Although the language differs, the message aligns closely with modern physiology: effective digestion depends on sufficient digestive strength and clear signalling. Suppressing acidity may quiet symptoms, but it also dampens the very force required for digestion and absorption. Whether described as stomach acid or digestive fire, restoring digestive capacity, not suppressing it, remains central to long-term health. Are you ready to investigate your GIT via functional medicine?