Why alkaline your body

Among the most popular notions that are prevalent in the nutrition world today is to alkaline your body to attain optimal health. It is a common belief that excess acidity is the main cause behind every disease ranging from the simplest such as acne to the deadliest such as cancer.

One of the methods to achieve alkalinity of your body is to eat an alkaline diet. It is believed that this diet may help in fighting diseases such as cancer but such claims aren’t proved by scientific evidence. Although by replacing acidic foods with more alkaline foods you may improve your health as it promotes the eating of more plant foods and restricts junk foods but this does not have any relation to the pH levels of your body.

Understanding the alkaline diet

The alkaline diet also referred to as the alkaline ash or acid-alkaline diet is based on the assumption that the type of food you eat can change the pH value of the body. The metabolism in your body is quite similar to fire. In both of these a chemical reaction occurs converting a solid mass into energy and residue or waste.

When a metabolic reaction occurs in your body, the foods metabolized leave a residue/ash referred to as metabolic waste. The latter can be acidic, neutral, or alkaline. People who advocate alkaline diets claim that this metabolic waste may affect the acidity of your body directly.

The acid-ash hypothesis states that acidic ash or residue may make you more prone to disease and illness while alkaline ash may protect your body. Hence, by including more alkaline foods in your diet you can alkaline your body; thereby, improving your health.

Food constituents, which produce an acidic residue are protein, sulfur, and phosphate whereas alkaline constituents include potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

The food groups can be divided according to whether they are neutral, acidic, or alkaline:

Neutral: starches, natural fats, and sugar

Acidic: poultry, meat, fish, alcohol, grains, eggs, and dairy

Alkaline: nuts, legumes, fruits, and vegetables

Understanding the pH levels of your body

pH level measures the acidity or alkalinity of something. The range of pH value is from 0 to 14 and:

Acidic is 0.0 to 6.9

Neutral is 7.0 and

Alkaline is 7.1 to 14.0

Does food affect the pH of your blood?

It is vital for the maintenance of optimal health that the levels of blood pH remain constant. If the pH level of your blood gets out of the normal range it may lead to a quick death if not treated. Due to this reason, the body has various effective methods to regulate its pH levels closely.

It is almost impossible for any kind of food ingredients to change your blood’s pH value. But food may change the urine pH value though this effect is variable.

Osteoporosis and acidic foods

Osteoporosis is a common bone disease in postmenopausal women and is characterized by the reduced mineral content of the bones. Many proponents of the alkaline diet believe that your body absorbs alkaline minerals like calcium from the bones to maintain the pH of the blood at a constant level. It does so to neutralize the acids that come from the acidic-foods that you consume.

According to the acid-ash hypothesis/theory of osteoporosis, diets that form acids may lead to a reduction in your bone mineral density. However, this hypothesis completely ignores that your kidneys function to remove acids and regulate your body’s pH levels. According to studies, diets that form acids do not have any impact on the levels of calcium in the body. Furthermore, a high-protein diet (that is an acidic diet) is generally linked to benefits for the health of your bones.

Cancer and acidic foods

There is mixed evidence as to the effects of acidic foods on cancer prevention.

Proponents of maintaining an alkaline environment in the body claim that the growth of cancer occurs only in acidic conditions and that it may be treated by consuming an alkaline diet.

But studies have shown that no such link exists. First, food whether acidic or alkaline doesn’t influence the pH levels of the blood significantly. Secondly, cancer cells may grow in any type of environment whether acidic or alkaline.

However, some studies suggest that decreasing the consumption of meat and consuming more vegetables, whole grains, and fruits may prevent the occurrence of cancer. Furthermore, the American Cancer Society (ACS) advises a diet that is quite similar to an alkaline diet. It advises to avoid soft drinks, high-fat foods, and processed foods and consume a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Weight loss and alkaline diet

An alkaline diet is usually lower in calories; hence, it may promote weight loss. However, this is the only reason behind weight loss due to an alkaline diet and not due to the alteration of pH levels of the body.

Kidney health and alkaline diet

In people who have kidney disease, a diet that is low in acid-forming foods may improve the symptoms of the disease or even reduce the severity of the disease.

Heart disease prevention and alkaline diet

Alkaline diets are lower in calories and fats; thereby, promoting an optimal body weight naturally. This also reduces the risk factors for heart disease. Furthermore, eating an alkaline diet raises growth hormone levels naturally and the latter reduces the risk factors for heart disease.

Healthy muscles and an alkaline diet

Studies have found that consuming an alkaline diet may help in improving your muscle health.

An alkaline diet is very healthy as it encourages a high consumption of vegetables, fruits, and other healthy plant-based foods while at the same time restricting processed and fast foods. However, the claim that this diet promotes health as it makes your body alkaline is not true.