Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sunybcs!boulder!eesnyder From: eesnyder@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Eric E. Snyder) Newsgroups: sci.bio Subject: Re: The pH of saliva Message-ID: <14608@boulder.Colorado.EDU> Date: 6 Dec 89 14:32:31 GMT References: <18383@bellcore.bellcore.com> <114000002@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> Sender: news@boulder.Colorado.EDU Reply-To: eesnyder@beagle.Colorado.EDU (Eric E. Snyder) Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder Lines: 28 In article <114000002@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> warg6606@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes: > I had a friend in college who suffered from gastric ulcers because >he chewed tobaco. His physician told him that because he "chewed," he was >spitting too much. The good doctor's point was that the saliva was required >to help neutralize the gastric juices secreted during the chewing. This >of course implies that the saliva is alkaline. I find this difficult to swallow. Although saliva many have some buffering capacity, I seriously doubt it is alkaline enough to offset stomach acidity. More likely, the sensation of having some tasty chew in one's mouth increases gastric secretion, possibly resulting in a gastric ulcer. Of course, the nicotine in chewing tobacco also induces increased secretions of various sorts as a pharmacological property of the chemical itself. Put these together and you have a lot better senario for an ulcer than simply spitting too much! FYI: I enjoy a good chew so no flames from people thinking I object to the sport! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TTGATTGCTAAACACTGGGCGGCGAATCAGGGTTGGGATCTGAACAAAGACGGTCAGATTCAGTTCGTACTGCTG Eric E. Snyder Department of Biochemistry Proctoscopy recapitulates University of Colorado, Boulder hagiography. Boulder, Colorado 80309 LeuIleAlaLysHisTrpAlaAlaAsnGlnGlyTrpAspLeuAsnLysAspGlyGlnIleGlnPheValLeuLeu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------