You may not think about your stomach acid very often, but it’s one of the most critical components of your digestive system. If you have too much or too little, your digestion will be nearly impossible. Stomach acid, also known as hydrochloric acid or HCl, play many roles in your body, from helping break down protein to digesting vitamins and minerals. Stomach acid activates the enzyme pepsin. Without this teamwork going on your body would be unable to break down proteins int