Question 1

Why doesn't stomach acid dissolve your stomach?

Accepted Answer

The stomach lining secretes a mucus layer about a quarter-millimeter thick that, combined with bicarbonate released by the cells, neutralizes acid right at the tissue surface. The lining also regenerates completely every three to four days, replacing damaged cells faster than the acid can break through.

Question 2

How strong is human stomach acid?

Accepted Answer

Human stomach acid has a pH of around two, making it roughly three million times more acidic than pure water and comparable to car battery acid. It is strong enough to corrode metal and dissolve bone, and the body produces close to two liters of it every day.

Question 3

What actually causes most stomach ulcers?

Accepted Answer

Most peptic ulcers are caused by infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, not by stress or spicy food as doctors long believed. Barry Marshall and Robin Warren proved this, and the discovery earned them the 2005 Nobel Prize. Most ulcers can now be cured with antibiotics.

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The Acid That Refuses to Eat Its Host