Have you seen advertisements for products such as coral calcium or alkaline water that are supposed to neutralize acid in your bloodstream? Taking calcium or drinking alkaline water does not affect blood acidity. Anyone who tells you that certain foods or supplements make your stomach or blood acidic does not understand nutrition.
You should not believe that it matters whether foods are acidic or alkaline, because no foods change the acidity of anything in your body except your urine. Your stomach is so acidic that no food can change its acidity. Citrus fruits, vinegar, and vitamins such as ascorbic acid or folic acid do not change the acidity of your stomach or your bloodstream. An entire bottle of calcium pills or antacids would not change the acidity of your stomach for more than a few minutes.
All foods that leave your stomach are acidic. Then they enter your intestines where secretions from your pancreas neutralize the stomach acids. So no matter what you eat, the food in stomach is acidic and the food in the intestines is alkaline.
Dietary modification cannot change the acidity of any part of your body except your urine. Your bloodstream and organs control acidity in a very narrow range. Anything that changed acidity in your body would make you very sick and could even kill you. Promoters of these products claim that cancer cells cannot live in an alkaline environment and that is true, but neither can any of the other cells in your body.
All chemical reactions in your body are started by chemicals called enzymes. For example, if you convert chemical A to chemical B and release energy, enzymes must start these reactions. All enzymes function in a very narrow range of acidity. (The degree of acidity or alkalinity is expressed as "pH."). If your blood changes its acidity or alkalinity for any reason, it is quickly changed back to the normal pH or these enzymes would not function and the necessary chemical reactions would not proceed in your body.
For example, when you hold your breath, carbon dioxide accumulates in your bloodstream very rapidly and your blood turns acidic, and you will become uncomfortable or even pass out. This forces you to start breathing again immediately, and the pH returns to normal. If your kidneys are damaged and cannot regulate the acidity of your bloodstream, chemical reactions stop, poisons accumulate in your bloodstream, and you can die.
Certain foods can leave end-products called ash that can make your urine acid or alkaline, but urine is the only body fluid that can have its acidity changed by food or supplements. ALKALINE-ASH FOODS include fresh fruit and raw vegetables. ACID-ASH FOODS include ALL ANIMAL PRODUCTS, whole grains, beans and other seeds. These foods can change the acidity of your urine, but that's irrelevant since your urine is contained in your bladder and does not affect the pH of any other part of your body.
When you take in more protein than your body needs, your body cannot store it, so the excess amino acids are converted to organic acids that would acidify your blood. But your blood never becomes acidic because as soon as the proteins are converted to organic acids, calcium leaves your bones to neutralize the acid and prevent any change in pH. Because of this, many scientists think that taking in too much protein may weaken bones to cause osteoporosis.
Cranberries have been shown to help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections, but not because of their acidity. They contain chemicals that prevent bacteria from sticking to urinary tract cells.
Taking calcium supplements or drinking alkaline water will not change the pH of your blood. If you hear someone say that your body is too acidic and you should use their product to make it more alkaline, you would be wise not to believe anything else the person tells you.
Dr. Mirkin, who practices medicine in Kensington, Maryland, is board-certified in four specialties: allergy and immunology; sports medicine; pediatrics; and pediatric immunology. He has served as a teaching fellow at Johns Hopkins Medical School, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, and Associate Clinical Professor in Pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He has written 16 books on sportsmedicine, weight control, and low-fat eating. His Web site offers broadcasts and reports on thousands of topics. He also offers a free weekly e-mail newsletter.
Oh yes it was an interesting read.
One of my first encounters with “alternative” health was the “pH balance” idea. A customer approached me at the pharmacy counter and asked for “pH test strips.” I asked him about kidney stones, diabetes – the usual reasons you test your urine. He told me he was healthy, and he was just monitoring his body’s “acid balance” and that he kept his body “alkali” to be healthy. “You can’t change your body’s pH, sir – if your pH changes, you’ll die,” I explained, in my most reassuring pharmacist voice. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he snapped at me, “I adjust my pH all the time.” I handed over the urine testing strips, rang it into the cash register, and wondered, what is this guy talking about? Where did he get the idea he could manipulate his body’s acidity?The pH balancing concept covers a variety of alternative health ideas, practices and treatments. The idea that our body’s acidity needs monitoring and adjusting is regularly promoted by “alternative” health providers – particularly naturopaths, but supported by pharmacies that sell urine test strips, and supplements like greens+ [PDF]. pH testing and monitoring is held out as a panacea for pretty much everything: “Virtually all degenerative diseases including cancer, heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney and gall stones, and tooth decay are associated with excess acidity in the body” says a typical website.
The medical profession, and the medical literature, is quiet on the topic of pH balancing. So let’s consider a few questions. What’s the premise and hypothesis for pH balancing and testing our urine? Does the amount of acidity in our urine give us meaningful insight into our health? Can dietary changes and and supplements prevent and reverse illness? Are health professionals overlooking a simple, effective tool to improve health, just to support the “industrial-pharmaceutical” complex? Let’s take a closer look.
http://sciencebasedpharmacy.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/your-urine-is-not-a-window-to-your-body-ph-balancing-a-failed-hypothesis/99Advocates of acid-base measurement argue that our diets have dramatic effects on our health, and that by measuring our urine, taking supplements, and changing our diet, we can avoid or eliminate most diseases. They way it’s described, when we eat “acid-forming” products like meats and cheese, our bodies turn “acidic” and illness results. To compensate for this acidity, we leach calcium from our bones. If we continue to maintain a diet high in protein and “acid forming” foods, our bodies will shed calcium and we can end up with osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases. “Too much acidity in your system can cause everything from blemishes to back pain to diseases like breast cancer,” says the Shoppers Drug Mart magazine, Glow. The solution to reducing acidity? Drinking alkaline water, cutting back on protein consumption, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and taking supplements like Greens+ and coral calcium. Advocates call this an “alkaline” diet. And to measure whether we’re doing enough, we should test the acidity of our urine (or saliva) using pH test strips that tell us how much acid is being excreted. If, on balance, our urine isn’t acidic, then we’re doing things right. On an alkaline diet, according to proponents, we can lose weight, stop cancer, absorb vitamins, and have beautiful skin. Sounds incredible.
What is pH and acid balance? The pH scale is a measure of the acidity of a liquid. A pH of 7 is neutral. Anything lower is called acidic, anything higher is basic, or alkaline. The pH is a logarithmic scale – that is, a difference of 1 pH is a 10x difference.
Our blood’s pH is 7.4 – slightly alkaline or basic. Enzymes that facilitate chemical reactions in the cells work only in a narrow range of pH. Any significant change (below about 7 or over 7.7) means almost certain death. A series of buffers and compensation mechanisms keep the pH in our blood from moving far from 7.4. Because the blood circulates throughout the body constantly, it can compensate any changes in pH in any of our organs (e.g., our muscles during intense exercise). Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most prevalent acid in our body, and is a product of cellular activity. The blood carries CO2 away and eliminates it in the lungs. The lungs actually provide the biggest source of acid elimination in our body. Our kidneys provide a secondary protection of the pH, eliminating acid in the urine (but much more slowly than the lungs). Consider the process of eating and digestion. Everything we eat is broken down by stomach acid. The pH in our stomach is about 3 – very acidic, due to production of hydrochloric acid. Everything that is ejected from our stomach, into our intestines, is then immediately neutralized by digestive liquids and enzymes. Everything we eat and digest will end up at the same pH in our intestines. What this means is the initial pH of any thing we eat is completely irrelevant. So let’s dispose of a few myths right away – alkaline water? kangan water? coral calcium? All without scientific merit. Even if you manage to raise the pH of your stomach significantly (say, with antacids), eventually the stomach acids will restore the stomach pH to its regular levels. Nothing you eat or drink will have a significant effect on the pH of food once it reaches your intestine to be absorbed.
Your urine’s pH varies, as it’s a waste facility for the metabolic waste. Excess acidity is eliminated in the kidneys. And this can be manipulated by your diet. Your urine’s pH will reflect a number of metabolic, digestive, and other processes. But measuring the urinary pH to estimate of the blood’s pH is nonsensical, because your blood pH does not change unless you’re seriously, seriously, ill. There remains no convincing evidence to demonstrate that measuring (and manipulating) your urine’s pH has any correlation with your risk of medical conditions like osteoporosis or cancer, or any of the other medical conditions that advocate claim are the result of “excess acidity.”
Yes. We know, with good evidence, that calcium and vitamin D intake are strongly correlated with a reduced risk of osteoporosis. That’s why it’s essential to maintain a diet rich in these products. With respect to fruits and vegetables, the evidence is less clear, but there seems to be a positive relationship between consumption and reduced osteoporosis risk. While we cannot conclude that one causes the other (correlation does not equal causation), there is no known downside to a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
With respect to protein, as noted above, the effects are not clear. While it’s promoted among pH balancing proponents that excessive protein consumption causes osteoporosis, the evidence isn’t clear. There is no reason to significantly reduce protein consumption in the hope of reducing the risk of osteoporosis. In fact,the evidence suggests the opposite-consuming adequate protein seems to be important.
The claim with the Greens “superfood” products like Greens+ Bone Builder:
Unfortunately, there’s no published evidence to demonstrate that Greens+ has any of these effects. If it provides a source of calcium and vitamin D, then that could be helpful. But the benefit is unrelated to pH balance or the acidity of your urine.
Interestingly, the Federal Trade Commission recently won a judgment of nearly USD million against a manufacturer of coral calcium and another version of “greens”. The manufacturer of the greens product “Supreme Greens” made claims that the product was an effective treatment for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. It also claimed that “Supreme Greens” caused significant weight loss, and could be taken safely by pregnant women, children and persons on medication. The court agreed [pdf] that the advertising for these products was deceptive.
Urinary pH is highly variable, reflects the net result of your diet and any supplements you take. Following a “pH balanced” diet, and taking pH manipulative supplements has no demonstrated relationship to one’s risk of osteoporosis, cancer, or other serious illness. General dietary advice to consume plenty of fruits and vegetables, sufficient amounts of protein, vitamin D, and lots of calcium-rich foods is sound. Calcium and vitamin D supplements may be useful if you don’t get enough in your diet. But there is no evidence to suggest that your urine’s pH correlates with osteoporosis, or your risk for diseases like cancer. And there’s no need to take any special superfood or greens supplement to help protect or strengthen your bones, or to reduce your risk of cancer.
As summarized succinctly and accurately by Quackwatch,
If its nonsense, then why do MDs test for it in a routine urinalysis. I cured myself of kidney disease back in my 50s with a change in diet that the doctors said I could do, or die, or be in dialysis the rest of my life. They were extremely careful about monitoring my PH while having this kidney disease.“If you hear someone say that your body is too acidic and you should use their product to make it more alkaline, you would be wise not to believe anything else the person tells you.”
http://sciencebasedpharmacy.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/your-urine-is-not-a-window-to-your-body-ph-balancing-a-failed-hypothesis/
Your urine’s pH varies, as it’s a waste facility for the metabolic waste. Excess acidity is eliminated in the kidneys. And this can be manipulated by your diet. Your urine’s pH will reflect a number of metabolic, digestive, and other processes. But measuring the urinary pH to estimate of the blood’s pH is nonsensical, because your blood pH does not change unless you’re seriously, seriously, ill. There remains no convincing evidence to demonstrate that measuring (and manipulating) your urine’s pH has any correlation with your risk of medical conditions like osteoporosis or cancer, or any of the other medical conditions that advocate claim are the result of “excess acidity.