Stomach acidity and human eating behaviors

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Sept. 17, 2021

Stomach acidity and human eating behaviors

In a study titled The Evolution of Stomach Acidity and Its Relevance to the Human Microbiome [3], a team of researchers looked at acidity levels in the stomachs of over sixty animal species. They noticed that the highest levels of acidity were found in meat-eating and scavenging species, while the lowest levels were found in plant-eating animals. This may be because gastric juices act as disinfectants, sanitizing the food being digested within the stomach.

There are indeed a lot more pathogens in meat (especially when decomposing) than in fruits and plants. Carnivorous and scavenging species get rid of those pathogens thanks to very acidic pH, while herbivores do not require such acidity. It is actually best for them not to have stomachs that kill too many bacteria, the latter being vital for the digestion process in ruminants.

The authors of this paper point out that the highly acidic pH measured in the human stomach makes it much closer to carnivorous animals, and even to scavengers, than to herbivores. Stomach pH in humans has been measured at 1.5, whereas in the African vulture, the scavenger par excellence, it stands at 1.3. In this regard, human beings are vastly different from some great apes, whose gastric pH is much less acidic (3.7 in baboons, despite them being omnivorous). To account for such acidity in humans, researchers have hypothesized that our ancestors may have been neither purely carnivorous, nor vegetarian, but rather, omnivores with occasional scavenging behaviors.

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masemune

Stomach acidity and human eating behaviors

In a study titled The Evolution of Stomach Acidity and Its Relevance to the Human Microbiome [3], a team of researchers looked at acidity levels in the stomachs of over sixty animal species.

They noticed that the highest levels of acidity were found in meat-eating and scavenging species, while the lowest levels were found in plant-eating animals.

This may be because gastric juices act as disinfectants, sanitizing the food being digested within the stomach.

There are indeed a lot more pathogens in meat (especially when decomposing) than in fruits and plants.

Carnivorous and scavenging species get rid of those pathogens thanks to very acidic pH, while herbivores do not require such acidity.

It is actually best for them not to have stomachs that kill too many bacteria, the latter being vital for the digestion process in ruminants.

The authors of this paper point out that the highly acidic pH measured in the human stomach makes it much closer to carnivorous animals, and even to scavengers, than to herbivores.

Stomach pH in humans has been measured at 1.5, whereas in the African vulture, the scavenger par excellence, it stands at 1.3.

In this regard, human beings are vastly different from some great apes, whose gastric pH is much less acidic (3.7 in baboons, despite them being omnivorous).

To account for such acidity in humans, researchers have hypothesized that our ancestors may have been neither purely carnivorous, nor vegetarian, but rather, omnivores with occasional scavenging behaviors.

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Stomach acidity and human eating behaviors