Betaine hydrochloride is a natural substance that is sometimes taken to improve digestion. It can also increase stomach acid levels and help treat some conditions that result from low stomach acid.
Betaine hydrochloride is often recommended by natural health practitioners to help remedy hypochlorhydria, a condition where the stomach is not as acidic as it should be. Low stomach acid is linked to certain digestive and immune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and food allergies.
Benefits
Our bodies naturally produce a strong acid called hydrochloric acid (HCl) that is part of our gastric juices and is essential for digestion. But as we age, our HCl levels decrease, which can result in low stomach acid or hypochlorhydria. This causes digestive symptoms such as heartburn, bloating, and gas. Betaine hydrochloride may be helpful for reducing these symptoms by increasing HCl levels in the stomach.
The supplemental form of this acid, available in easy-to-swallow vegan capsules, can help restore optimal stomach acid levels and promote better protein digestion as well as carbohydrate and fat absorption. It also helps kill harmful bacteria in the stomach and intestinal tract.
Betaine hydrochloride is also used to treat a lack of or defect in certain enzymes that causes too much homocysteine to build up in the blood. It is a type of B vitamin. Homocysteine is a compound that is involved in methylation, a process that affects how the body uses and stores other nutrients.
Dosage
Betaine hydrochloride is usually sold as a capsule, and is taken with meals. It is said to help remedy hypochlorhydria, a condition where there isn’t enough hydrochloric acid in the stomach’s gastric juice (1).
Low stomach acid can lead to several digestive and immune conditions, such as indigestion, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), gallstones, rheumatoid arthritis, food allergies and vitiligo (2). Betaine HCl has been shown to increase the pH of the stomach, which is what improves digestion (3).
However, high doses of HCl can damage the mucosa lining of the stomach, and can even cause heartburn if used regularly. A health care professional should be consulted before taking high doses of HCl in this situation. Wright suggests starting off at one capsule with each meal and increasing the dose every day until a warmth sensation is felt in the stomach. It is important to take the HCl with meals, or else it can stimulate the release of too much stomach acid.
Side Effects
Many people experience frequent or prolonged episodes of indigestion, often after eating. For some, this translates into heartburn, abdominal pain, bloating and gas. In many cases, indigestion is caused by the insufficient secretion of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach's gastric juice. This condition is known as hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria, and it can be brought on by a number of factors. One of the most common causes is long-term use of H2-blockers or proton pump inhibitors.
Fortunately, our betaine hydrochloride can help restore healthy stomach acid levels and improve digestion. It can also help with nutrient absorption, fight small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and increase potassium levels.
Interactions
Betaine hydrochloride does not interact with most medications and is safe to take in combination with antibiotics, antifungals, antiviral agents, antacids and calcium supplements. However, it is important to tell your doctor if you have a history of gastric ulcers or acid reflux/dyspepsia (abnormal heartburn) as the supplement may interfere with your ability to digest proteins.
Aside from reversing a betaine deficiency, betaine may reduce high homocysteine levels that increase the risk of heart disease by encouraging atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Dietary betaine, along with folic acid and vitamins B6, B12 and pyridoxine, helps reduce blood homocysteine in people who don't have the genetic condition known as hyperhomocystinemia.
Betaine hydrochloride also may help enhance drug absorption, particularly in people with hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid). A small study found that betaine hydrochloride significantly enhanced dasatinib absorption in healthy volunteers pretreated with rabeprazole (a proton pump inhibitor) who had hypochlorhydria. (7)
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