I was curious as to how much Tums Antacids slow down the average human metabolism. They act to neutralize the acids of the stomach, so it seems that some slack in process would occur. Thanks!

They won't slow down overall activity. They may interfere with digestion and, the ability to kill bacteria. But it won't result in a loss in the ability to take up nutrients, which happens later, anyway (if that is what you are thinking).

 

Also the connection of nutrient uptake and metabolic levels is quite complex and also involves other external and internal factors.

Thanks! So are they a decent calcium supplement?

People often experience acid splashback in the upper esophagus from having too little hydrogen chloride available for digestion, and then when they interpret their symptoms of excess acidity and take an antacid, they simply make things worse. Many of these patients are astonished to find that they feel much better if they take HCl rather than an antiacid for their symptoms. For this reason, Tums and other similar over-the-counter medications are usually the wrong thing to take. If you really do have a problem with too much stomach acidity, a proton-pump inhibitor such as Nexium is the better alternative.

 

Tums is, in any case, just 'smut' spelled backwards.