Acid production is the unique and central component of the stomach's contribution to the digestive process. Acid bathes the food bolus while stored in the stomach, facilitating digestion. The acidic environment of the stomach is not only useful for protein denaturing but also for protection against potentially infectious agents.

All material consumed by the body must pass through the stomach, making it an important defense against microbes. Many bacteria are killed or inhibited by the stomach's acidity.

Young infants and approximately 30% of the elderly have a low secretion of hydrochloric acid by gastric parietal cells. It has been established that low hydrochloric acid secretion can lead to decreased absorption of ferric iron.

A low gastric acid condition is called hypochlorhydria. It compromises the gastric barrier and favors bacterial overgrowth in the proximal parts of the small intestine where nutrient absorption takes place. Food calories thus deviate into bacterial metabolism. It may lead to malnutrition.

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