Malabsorption

May be caused by low stomach acidity.

Hypochlorhydria: Low Stomach Acidity

To test for low stomach acidity:

• Mix ¼tsp baking soda with 4oz of water on an empty stomach.
• Will typically belch in under 3-5 minutes. If greater than 5 minutes, it's likely stomach acidity is low.

A harsher way to test for low stomach acidity:

• Take 1 Betaine HCL pill (highly acidic, swallow whole) with a meal high in protein once a day.
• Increase by 1 pill every other day until heartburn or discomfort occurs.

Treatment

• Increase protein intake and lower carbs and fat to signal your stomach to produce more acid.
• Treat gut dysbiosis (bad bacteria) that may be harboring in your gut and limiting the acidity of the stomach.
• Take 1 less than the max tolerated Betaine HCL or similar (pineapple, Alpha-Lipoic Acid...) to increase stomach acidity.
  • Reduce intake if stomach acidity returns to normal.

Ammonia

Gut dysbiosis could cause an increase in the absorption of ammonia from your gut. More ammonia going in to your blood faster than your liver can remove it can increase the base level of ammonia the brain gets and cause brain fog. It may not be true for you but you can do a test on yourself to see if ammonia balance is a contributor to the fog.

Stir about a heaping teaspoon of OKG or AAKG in about half a cup of water (this will be about 3gms of OKG). Drink it down when you're feeling the fog. See what happens in about 30-60 minutes. If the fog clears, ammonia balance in the gut is possibly the problem. If no change after a couple of hours, probably not ammonia. OKG is l-ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate. AAKG is l-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate. Alpha-ketoglutarate is one of the intermediates of the citric acid cycle. It moves the cycle along while consuming ammonia.

There are other "ammonia-soppers" but OKG or AAKG are the cheapest ones. Personally, I think OKG is tasty and refreshing in a cold glass of water. Kind of tart tasting (to me). Oxoloacetate and l-ornithine l-aspartate also work to rev up the citric acid cycle a bit to metabolize ammonia but they are a lot more expensive.

This is just a test so get the smallest container you can. Personally, I buy OKG by the kilogram (lasts a long time at about 7 cents a dose). I've been using it for years. Bodybuilders use OKG and AAKG to metabolize excess ammonia produced by muscle breakdown during an intense workout.

If the ammonia test does turn out to be positive for you (as in the OKG clears the fog), there are things you can do to reduce the gut absorption of ammonia.