This is from the topic of atrophic gastritis. With atrophy, cells secreting hydrochloric acid disappear from the gastric mucosa. Without acid, we would have survived, but the problem is that the same cells produce an internal factor. Vitamin B12 will not be absorbed without it. And he is vital to us.
The intrinsic factor is protein, which matches vitamin B12 like a key to a lock. At one end, it clings to the vitamin, and the other to special receptors in the distant part of the small intestine. It is only thanks to the intrinsic factor that the intestines can absorb vitamin B12.
The internal factor is called internal because its source is within us. In the gastric mucosa.
But vitamin B12 itself is called an external factor. Because we get it with food.
So that this story does not seem too boring to you, I will tell you about how people were saved from a lack of vitamin B12 100 years ago. Then people also suffered from atrophic gastritis, and they developed pernicious anemia from a lack of vitamin B12.
Scientists who have studied this case fed their patients a large amount of raw liver. There was a lot of vitamin, which was stupidly absorbed due to the numerical superiority. It was disgusting, but not the most interesting. The patients were still fed half-digested liver and meat.
First, the liver and meat were fed to healthy people, then the resulting mash was pumped out of their stomachs and fed to the sick. They gradually recovered, because together with the vitamin they received the intrinsic factor from healthy donors. It was not enough to think of this. It was also necessary to persuade patients to such experiments. If you want to live, you will not eat that.
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