Like many infectious organisms, the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacterium waits for the right time to proliferate and cause symptoms. Eating a poor diet that leads to nutritional deficiencies can decrease hydrochloric acid production, allowing H. pylori to proliferate.

For example, salt is essential for the production of hydrochloric acid. Therefore, a salt deficiency will reduce acid production.

Zinc is a component of an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase, which is also essential for producing hydrochloric acid. So zinc deficiency can also reduce hydrochloric acid production, which sets the stage for H. pylori proliferation.

Salt is the second most common component in the human body, after water. We need it not only to maintain optimal hydrochloric acid production, but also to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, which are the body’s energy storage system.

Of course, we’ve all been told to cut back on salt consumption. But in truth, if you aren’t suffering from congestive heart failure or kidney failure, your body should be able to handle an appropriate salt intake.

Salt deficiency is surprisingly common in our society. I’ve been checking patients’ salt levels for three decades with blood tests and electrolyte level tests, and have found that the vast majority of people are deficient.

Salt is made up of two elements, sodium and chloride, that are both required for hydrochloric acid production in the stomach. The optimal sodium level for most people is greater than 139 millequivalents per liter (mEq/L), and the optimal chloride level is greater than 102 mEq/L.

But H. pylori affects more than just the stomach. In the gastrointestinal tract, it can cause gastritis as well. And in 1994, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified H. pylori as a carcinogen — a cancer-causing agent. The bacterium has been linked to an increase in gastric (stomach) cancers and certain lymphomas.

Esophageal cancers have also been linked to H. pylori infection. In addition, skin problems such as urticaria (hives), psoriasis, rosacea, hair loss, eczema, and canker sores have been linked to H. pylori infections.