Q.What is Betaine HCl?
A.When taken as a supplement, betaine hydrochloride provides extra hydrochloric acid in the stomach. A major branch of alternative medicine known as naturopathy has long held that low stomach acid is a widespread problem that interferes with digestion and the absorption of nutrients. Betaine hydrochloride is one of the most common recommendations for this proposed condition, along with the more folksy choice of apple cider vinegar. Betaine without the hydrochloride molecule attached is also sold as a supplement. In this chemically different form, it is called trimethylglycine (TMG). TMG is not acidic, and it has completely different properties.

Q.What are the food sources of Betaine HCl?
A.Whole wheat foods: Foods that contain betaine include whole wheat breads and grains. Whole wheat foods are those that have not been stripped of their natural outer grain and are not refined. Good sources include whole-wheat bread and whole-grain cereals. Other sources include rolled oats, barley, quinoa and brown rice. Including these foods in the daily diet may help boost the betaine content in the body.
Beets: Beets are source of betaine, stating that it has been shown to provide anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and detox support in the body. The betaine is concentration in the peel and the flesh of the beets making this food a good addition to the diet. Beets can be boiled and added to salads along with fresh vegetables and walnuts for a healthy and nutrient-rich meal.
Spinach: Spinach is a healthy vegetable that can be lightly steamed or eaten raw. Spinach is one of the primary food sources of betaine. Due to its betaine content, spinach may be a good food in protecting against high homocysteine levels, fatigue and osteoporosis. Adding spinach to a sandwich prepared on whole grain bread can combine two good sources of betaine for a nutrient-rich meal.

Q.What are the benefits of Betaine HCl?
A.The benefits of Betaine are as follows:
Relieves Hypochorhydria: Hypochlorhydria is the low production of stomach acid, or decreased secretion of HCl. This state of low acid can negatively impact the proper digestion of food, and may allow bacteria into the gut that would have normally been killed by the acid. Betaine hydrochloride has been successfully used in conventional medicine to treat hypochlorhydria.
May prevent Maldigestion: Undigested food that remains in the digestive system may be linked to issues ranging from a lack of nutrient absorption to hormone disruption. 
May help with Ulcers: Another possible benefit of betaine HCl is that it may help to heal ulcers. Many naturopathic physicians believe that betaine HCl is helpful for ulcers due to the theory that a lack of stomach acid causes an incomplete digestion of proteins and these proteins may cause negative responses including ulcers and heartburn. 

Q.What is pepsin?
A.Pepsin is a digestive enzyme that is produced from a precursor substance called pepsiongen. Pepsin is produced in the cells lining the stomach and excreted in response to food entering the digestive tract. Your body makes pepsin in various forms, with the most active form being pepsin.

Q.What are the functions of pepsin?
A.Food is composed of varying amounts of protein, fats or carbohydrates, and the pepsin enzyme targets the protein portion of a meal. It has a proteolytic function, which means that it slices up large proteins into smaller polypeptides in preparation for absorption in the intestines. Proteins are made up of long strings of amino acids held together by peptide bonds, and pepsin cuts proteins at certain amino acids, such as glutamic acid, leucine or aspartic acid. Later during digestion, these polypeptide fragments will be further broken down by additional enzymes, such as endopeptidases and exopeptidases, so they can easily cross the intestinal wall into the body. Pepsin's preference for certain amino acids it means that some proteins entering the stomach escape cleavage by pepsin. 

Q.How pepsin is formed?
A.One of the body's challenges in producing pepsin is keeping it from digesting the cells where it's made. Cells are made up of mostly protein, meaning that if a cell produces pepsin, it's at risk for being digested by the pepsin. As such, chief cells produce pepsin in an inactive precursor form, called pepsinogen, explain Drs. Garrett and Grisham. The pepsinogen is activated once it reaches the stomach, so it doesn't harm the cells that produce it.