Question

The roles of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the digestive system?

Answer 1

Stomach secretions are made up of hydrochloric acid, several enzymes, and a mucus coating that protects the lining of your stomach. Hydrochloric acid helps your body to break down, digest, and absorb nutrients such as protein. It also eliminates bacteria and viruses in the stomach, protecting your body from infection.

Answer 2

There are several roles of HCl in the digestive system. Some of them are as follows:

• There is HCl present in the gastric juice of your stomach, otherwise known as stomach acid. The acidic nature of the HCl in the stomach acid make it useful for quickly breaking down food.
• HCl's acidic nature also allows it to kill bacteria and other pathogens that you may have ingested, keeping you safe from their dangerous effects.
• HCl can also contribute Hydrogen ions, which helps to activate pepsinogen, a substance secreted by the stomach wall. The activated pepsinogen is then converted into pepsin, which aids in the digestion of proteins. Because of this, HCl essentially keeps the systems of protein digestion in check. Too much or too little of it can be dangerous.
• HCl also makes sure that vitamins are properly absorbed and acts as a communicator to other organs in the digestive system.