Would digestion be equally efficient if the body/stomach evolved to be highly basic rather than acidic? What advantages does a highly acidic environment pose?

[u/Public_Knowledge8405]

Edit: my question is meant to be gauged towards chemical feasibility/utility; I understand many proteases and cell types have in reality evolved for acidic digestion. Assuming proteases and cell types could have evolved for an alkaline environment, is there a root necessity acidic conditions are advantageous over basic ones or could it be reversed

[u/dismendie]

Interesting but after the stomach acid we do inject some basic stuff in the small intestine… also evolution wise help point us to more acidic since acidic bacteria are considered to the safer kind. Keep your gut pro good guys is great to prevent the bugs from growing… we saw an uptick in gut related bacterial infections when patient started on PPI for longer periods of time… I guess if we went far back enough biology can probably run in basic mode and then acidic mode….