To stop pepsin reflux you will need to neutralize the enzyme by using physical barriers and making targeted dietary changes.
Some ways you can deactivate the pepsin enzyme and stop pepsin reflux are by drinking alkaline water, using alkaline throat sprays, use alginate therapy, changing your sleep position and adjusting your diet as well as taking acid suppressants and using targeted prescription therapies.
Pepsin can reactivate when it's exposed to even mild acidity, so drinking water with a pH of 9.5 or higher like Essentia can permanently deactivate the pepsin enzyme.
Using a spray bottle filled with some high pH water to rinse your throat and soothe pepsin irritation directly can also help stop pepsin reflux.
Elevating your head using a wedge pillow or adjustable bed frame at a 30 to 45 degree angle also uses gravity to keep the pepsin and stomach contents down.
Alginates, which are found in products such as Gaviscon Advance0 are natural compounds, which are derived from seaweed.
And when they mix with your stomach acid, they form a physical, foam like barrier which physically floats on top of your stomach contents, which prevents pepsin from traveling up your esophagus at night.
You should also limit or eliminate highly acidic foods, like tomatoes, citrus and even high acidic drinks like soda and coffee as well as high fat foods, as the fat relaxes your sphincter that keeps your stomach contents down.
And avoid eating before bed by stopping eating or drinking anything at least 3 hours to 4 hours before you lay down to give your stomach enough time to completely empty.
And proton pump inhibitors can also help stop pepsin reflux, although they don't directly kill the pepsin, but they do help to manage the underlying acid that activates the pepsin.
And even antiviral medications, like fosamprenavir, also directly bind to and inhibit pepsin and doctors are now increasingly exploring these for severe and recalcitrant LPR cases
The negative affects of pepsin are gastrointestinal discomfort, allergic reactions, gastritis, medication interactions and long term dependency are some risks with pepsin.
The negative effects of pepsin mainly occur when the pepsin escapes your stomach as a result of acid reflux or when you take pepsin supplements in excess, in which case it damages the sensitive mucosal tissues and can trigger ulceration, inflammation and gastrointestinal distress.
If you have too much pepsin it can result in and cause severe tissue damage, gastrointestinal distress as well as inflammation as pepsin is a powerful stomach enzyme that breaks down proteins.
Although often confined to your stomach, excessive or too much pepsin can sometimes backflow and adhere to sensitive respiratory and throat tissues.
Complications that can occur from too much pepsin are gastritis and ulcers, pan and nausea and even reflex and throat damage.
When the pepsin escapes your stomach through reflux, the pepsin can attach to the delicate tissues of your airways and throat, which is known as Laryngopharyngeal Reflux or silent reflux.
Even if the stomach acid is neutralized, pepsin can still remain in your throat for hours and can reactivate whenever you consume acidic foods or beverages, and once reactivated, the pepsin breaks down the proteins in your throat and vocal cords, triggering of inflammation.
Common symptoms of reflux and throat damage are chronic sore throat, hoarseness, a persistent cough, postnasal drip and difficulty swallowing.
The erosion from the excess pepsin can also lead to indigestion, a burning stomach sensation, nausea, bloating and mild pain.
And an over abundance of active pepsin in your stomach can erode your protective mucosal lining.
If you have too little pepsin, what happens is your body struggles to break down the dietary proteins.
The inefficiency of too little pepsin, triggers a cascade of digestive issues, nutritional deficits and physical discomfort.
When you have too little pepsin, it leads to poor digestion, increased infection risk and nutritional deficiencies.
With too little pepsin, large protein molecules are not cleaved into absorbable peptides.
This also causes food to linger in your stomach, fermenting and producing gas.
And pepsin and stomach acid are also required to extract and absorb critical nutrients like iron, vitamin B12, calcium and magnesium.