<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

One particularly interesting reply re bacterial overgrowth deserves to be quoted in entirety:

If stomach acid is sufficient (ph 3), they those areas (stomach and small intestine) should be sterile. (http://www.drdebe.com/BAKESODA.htm) Problems arise when the ph is consistently over 4.0   


The bacteria that then grow are capable of converting nitrates in the food we eat into nitrites, which undergo further oxidation to become very toxic compounds, including N-nitroamines which induce cancer.  The bacteria can also grow in the mouth if teeth and gums are not healthy. This converts the nitrates that are recirculated in your saliva into nitrites while you sleep...

I've been doing lots of reseasch in the past year.  I acquired nitrate toxicity from extended use of sensitivity toothpaste containing potassium nitrate.  From that exposure I developed a nitrite sensitivity which cause blistering dermatitis primarily on my hands and feet. Since nitrates irritate muscous membranes and cause gastritis, the rx acid reducers made my problem worse.  Meds for hypertension contained nitrates & similar compounds that my body used to fuel the process. The painful dematitis went on for almost 3 years.

After eliminating as many nitrate (veggies, thiamine mono-nitrate in vitamins & foods, and some fruits) and nitrites (all cured meats--ham to hot dogs) from my diet, got rid of a lot of the problems.  It's a slow process since it takes about 50 days for circulating levels of nitrates to drop (Nitrates and Nitrites in Food & Water, M. Hill --Great book but difficult to find and very expensive to buy.  Try a college library.)

Changing stomach ph is also important.  I only discovered recently that ascorbic acid/Vitamin C is an essential part of stomach acid. It also binds with nitrates in foods to make them non-reactive.  From my experience, taking a timed-release Vitamin C has been a lifesaver.  I'm attaching an overview article on nitrates that mentions the HCL/ascobic acid balance of somach acid.  (The Word.doc file contains .jpg picture of the pages so will take a while to download.)

Most recently, I been reading about essential acids and anti-microbial acid in natural coconut oil.  ( http://www.coconutoil-online.com/ )After checking the prices at the health food stores, I found some all natural coconut oil at an Indian grocery for a fraction of the price and decided to try it.  Since my body does bad things w/ nitrates while I sleep, I've been taking a 1/2 tsp. or so at bedtime for a few day and my stomach does feel better. Probably works on my mouth as well. 

Here are the links for articles on the nitrate intolerance at
http://www.uwsp.edu/water/portage/undrstnd/blbaby.htm  
http://www.wellspan.org/EducationResearch/brightly.pdf 

Based on these articles & other, it's my opinion that nitrate overload can lead to thiamine (B1) and other deficiencies--folate, niacin, iodine, B12, and even cause anemia...
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic221.htm 
http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic229.htm 
   

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*