Betaine HCL

My question is… what is known about Betaine HCL for digestion, protein absorption, and why I don’t see it more often in any supplement recommendations for gaining mass?

My experience stems from my digestion going of the rails about 6 years ago. I started dropping weight every few days for months. I was under a lot of life stress. My skin was horribly broken out. My gas was so bad I had to go outside to pass it. I went to see a gastro and he prescribed me Cipro which made it worse, and in looking for solutions I came across Betaine HCL.

Well within days my gas cleared up and I started putting on weight. I was down 25 lbs. from the onset of my symptoms. After about 6 months I stopped supplementing as my weight stabilized (30 lbs. I gained back). I was not strength training with the barbell at the time, just kettlebells.

Since then from time to time my digestion gets off, bad gas, skin breaks out. Start supplementing with Betaine HCL, everything clears up.

So was my experience rare. Why don’t I see this recommendation more for putting on mass/ protein absorption?

Not much is known about it. A handful of studies, only one in a reputable journal, have looked into it and show that is helped with absorption of basic (high pH) medications though not to any clinically relevant effect.

Sounds like you might have had an infection whose symptoms regressed to the mean after being treated, which coincided with betaine hcl administration. I don’t think betaine HCl does much of anything.

It is also highly unlikely that your “digestion gets off” markedly without some other cause. I’d potentially investigate that.