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In article ,
(simy1) writes:
| (Nick Maclaren) wrote in message ...
|
| pH is meaningful only for compounds that ionise; alcohol is not
| one such, unless my memory is at fault. Coffee is not particularly
| acid. And acid stomach contents tend to get neutralised as they pass
| further down the gut, though I don't know the mechanisms, which is
| why bacteria can live in our intestine at all.
|
| I don't know who first invented the pseudo-science that you are
| quoting, but I have seen it before, and it is complete nonsense.
| So, I am pretty certain, is the theory that humans can thrive for
| a few decades with no vitamin B-12 intake at all.
|
| It is not pseudoscience - it is an hypothesis. The facts are
|
| 1) vegan groups where B12 deficiency is absent
| 2) B12 deficiency being a proven fact
| 3) animal (including human) waste containing very large amounts of B12
| 4) other animals apparently being able to manufacture their B12 and
| turning into B12 sources for us
|
| Feel free to incorporate all of these facts into any theory.

Such as the one that both coffee and alcohol have a low pH, in
the context of the digestive tract?

The bacteria in our gut who are responsible for B-12 do not appreciate
an acid environment (both coffee and alcohol have low pH).

But perhaps it was some other that posted that.

And, yes, it was the pseudo-science that coffee and alcohol have a
low pH and it is that aspect of them that disturbs our gut flora
that I was referring to. As I said, it goes back a long time
(decades) and was known to be nonsense when it was perpetrated.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.