Chapter 35, Problem 7A

Summary Introduction

Introduction:

The pH of the stomach is a very crucial factor for the digestion of various important nutrients and also efficiently works as a first-line defense against a number of bacteria and viruses. The stomach is the reservoir of a strong acid(hydrochloric acid) that provides the perfect environment for the activation of enzymes responsible for the degradation of protein into their respective smaller fragments. The stomach pH defined by the acid and regulate the digestion of proteins, folate, B12, and calcium etcetera.

Answer to Problem 7A

Correct answer:

The correct answer is option (A) pepsin would not be able to break down proteins.

Explanation of Solution

Explanation/justification for the correct answer:

Option (A) Pepsin would not be able to break down proteins. Proteins are not digested by stomach acid rather the acid causes activation of an inactive protease enzyme called pepsinogen that gets converted to its active form called pepsin. This pepsin is then secreted through the stomach wall and actions on the protein molecules into simpler amino acids chains. The stomach acid if rises due to some medication pepsin enzyme will be the one getting the most affected activity wise. So, the correct answer is option (A).

Explanation for incorrect answer:

Option (B) Amylase would not be able to breakdown starch. The carbohydrate digestion initiates from the mouth itself by the enzyme called amylase secreted by the salivary glands and aids in the breakdown of starch or other complex carbohydrates into simple sugar. This means that if the stomach acid rises due to some medication there will be not much affect om the amylase activity. So, this is an incorrect answer.

Option (C) Bile would not be able to be produced. Bile is constantly produced by the liver as a hormonal response, gets released in the duodenum(small intestine), and helps in the breakdown of fats, whereas when not needed gets stored in the gallbladder for later use. Thus does not correlate to an increase in stomach acid so, this is an incorrect option.

Option (D) Enzyme secreted by the pancreas would not function well. The enzyme secreted by the pancreas includes pancreatic juice, which constitutes factors for the neutralization of stomach acid for pancreatic enzymes to work efficiently thus increase in stomach pH due to any medication will have no worse effect on pancreatic enzyme activities. So, this is an incorrect option.