A NaturalNews Special Report by Jack Challem
The basic chemistry of pH balance
Back in high school chemistry, we learned about pH: acids had low numbers, alkalines
had high numbers, and a pH of 7.0 was neutral. And it all meant absolutely nothing in
terms of day-to-day life.
It now turns out that we have a better shot at long-term health if our body's pH is
neutral or slightly alkaline. When we tilt toward greater acidity, which can be measured
easily, we have a greater risk of developing osteoporosis, weak muscles, heart disease,
diabetes, kidney disease, and a host of other health problems.
The solution, according to scientists who have researched "chronic low-grade
metabolic acidosis," is eating a diet that yields more alkaline and less acid. Just
what kind of diet is that? One that's high in fruits and vegetables. That might not seem
like a big surprise, except for a few unexpected twists and turns.
Acid-yielding foods deplete minerals
If the idea of balancing acid and alkaline foods seems a bit off the wall, it does have
a somewhat checkered past. Most people, including physicians, aren't familiar with the
dangers of acidosis, except in the most extreme situations. Those include lactic acidosis,
from overexercise; ketoacidosis, when diabetes start burning their own fat; and renal
acidosis, which can be a sign of kidney failure.
The original scientific research on acid-yielding and alkaline-yielding foods dates back
to 1914 and was remarkably accurate, according to Loren Cordain, Ph.D., a professor and
researcher in the department of health and exercise science at Colorado State University,
Fort Collins. Then, in the 1930s and 1940s, the acid-alkaline concept was hijacked by
early health food "nuts." Among them, William Hay, M.D., proposed an almost
ritualistic eating habit based on food acidity or alkalinity. Since then, most doctors
have viewed any discussion of acid and alkaline diets with a skeptical eye.
But the problem with acid-producing eating habits is very real, contends Cordain, a
leading expert on the Paleolithic, or Stone Age diet. "After digestion, all foods
report to the kidneys as being either acidic or alkaline," he says. "The kidneys
are responsible for fluid balance and maintaining a relatively neutral pH in the
body."
That's where things get interesting. When acid-yielding foods lower the body's pH, the
kidneys coordinate efforts to buffer that acidity. Bones release calcium and magnesium to
reestablish alkalinity, and muscles are broken down to produce ammonia, which is strongly
alkaline. By the time the response is all over, your bone minerals and broken down muscle
get excreted in urine.
Long term, excess acidity leads to thinner bones and lower muscle mass, points out Anthony
Sebastian, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco. These problems are
compounded by normal aging, which increases acidosis, bone loss, and muscle wasting. Along
the way, calcium and magnesium losses can equate to deficiencies, with many ramifications.
Both minerals play essential roles in bone formation and normal heart rhythm. Low
magnesium levels can cause muscle cramps, arrhythmias, and anxiety. http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_acid_alkaline_pH_1.html
The four cases of dietary acidosis
Sebastian, regarded at the top researcher in the field of diet-related acidosis, admits
that some of the science, at first glance, appears counter-intuitive. For example, acidic
and alkaline foods don't usually translate into acid- and alkaline-yielding foods. The
distinction is subtle but significant. An acid-yielding food is one that creates a lower,
or more acidic, pH. Citrus fruits and tomatoes are acidic, but they have a net alkaline
yield once their constituents get to the kidneys.
So if acid foods don't necessarily make for an acid pH, what then happens? Sebastian
points to four big issues.
• First, fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium salts, a natural buffer. Eating
few of these foods deprives us of potassium, a mineral that protects against hypertension
and stroke. According to Cordain's research, humans evolved eating a 10:1 ratio of
potassium to sodium, and he regards this ratio as our biological baseline. Today, because
of heavily salted processed and fast foods, combined with a low intake of fruits and
vegetables, the ratio is now 3:1 in favor of sodium. That reversal, he says, wreaks havoc
with pH and our dependency on potassium.
• Second, there has also been a similar reversal in the consumption of naturally
occurring bicarbonate (such as potassium bicarbonate) in foods and added chloride (mostly
in the form of sodium chloride, or table salt). Bicarbonate is alkaline, where as chloride
is acid-yielding. Chloride also constricts blood vessels, and narrows blood vessels reduce
circulation, Sebastian says. Because the whole body depends on healthy circulation,
vasoconstriction contributes to heart disease, stroke, dementia, and probably every other
degenerative disease.
• Third, eating large amounts of animal protein (including meat, fowl, and seafood)
releases sulfuric acid though the metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids, also
contributing to greater acidity. This acidic shift can be offset with greater consumption
of fruits and vegetables (rich in potassium bicarbonate), but again, most Americans eat
these foods sparingly.
• Fourth, grains, such as wheat, rye, and corn, have a net acid-yielding effect,
regardless of whether they are in the form of white bread, breakfast cereal, pasta or
whole grains. "Grains are the most frequently consumed plant food in the United
States," says Sebastian, and account for 65 percent of the plant foods eaten by
Americans. "In addition to their acid yield, grains displace more nutritious fruits
and vegetables," he adds.
"The real problem is one of alkaline deficiency, more than one of too much
acid," says Sebastian. People eat plenty of acid-yielding animal protein, dairy
products, and grains. The missing piece is an appreciate amount of fruits and vegetables,
to produce an alkaline yield. Study after study has shown that most Americans -- 68 to 91
percent -- don't eat the five recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_acid_alkaline_pH_2.html
The strongest evidence in support of maintaining an acid-alkaline balance relates to
osteoporosis. "Consider that Americans consume more calcium-rich dairy foods than
almost every other nation, and we have one of the highest rates of osteoporosis,"
says Cordain. "There's a disconnect here. Dairy may be rich in calcium, but most
dairy foods also produce an acid yield."
Susan Brown, Ph.D., who heads the nonprofit Osteoporosis Education Project in East
Syracuse, N.Y., frames the acid-alkaline issue as one of mineral adequacy and depletion.
"It's a little like over-farming and depleting mineral levels in soil," she
says. "If we eat foods that create an acidic pH in the body, we will deplete our
bones of minerals and our muscles of protein.
Brown described a client named Janet whose doctor diagnosed her at age 52 with osteopenia,
a demineralizing of bone that often foreshadows osteoporosis. At 55, Janet began following
Brown's recommendations for eating more fruits and vegetables, taking supplements, and
exercising. Three years later, Janet was clearly building bone mass in her spine and hip,
even while going through menopause.
Meanwhile, Sebastian acknowledges that he may have only scratched the surface when it
comes to the health problems related to mild life-long acidosis. He says low-grade
acidosis increases insulin resistance, the hallmark of both prediabetes and full-blown
type-2 diabetes. It increases the risk of kidney stones and kidney failure. And one study
suggests that it might even alter gene activity and raise the risk of breast cancer. He
admits that no one yet knows all the consequences of a fundamental shift in the body's
acid-alkaline balance, but he suspects it's far reaching.
Can supplements help?
Millions of women dutifully take calcium supplements to help maintain their bone mass
and reduce their chances of developing severe osteoporosis with age. But do supplements
have any real benefit in alkalizing the body?
Brown does see a benefit from supplements, but she says it's important to stem calcium and
magnesium losses from acid-yielding eating habits. "Acid-alkaline balance is
overwhelmingly a food issue," she emphasizes. "Your pH is really a sign of how
your body is managing your mineral reserves."
Potassium has turned out to be a crucial mineral for maintaining bone. High-potassium
diets -- that is, those rich in fruits and vegetables -- slow bone loss, mainly by
promoting alkalinity. So do supplements, such as potassium citrate and bicarbonate. While
potassium citrate is commonly sold, the bicarbonate form is available only on
prescription. Still, it's hard for supplements to compete with the potassium in foods. A
handful of raisins, two dates, or a small banana each provide more than 300 mg of
potassium.
If you take supplements, opt for the citrate form, such as calcium citrate and magnesium
citrate. (Potassium supplements must by law be under 99 mg because of a risk of
arrhythmias at high doses.) Fumarate, aspartate, and succinate forms of minerals also have
an alkalizing effect, and all get Brown's blessing. In one study, Sebastian found that
potassium citrate supplements protected against calcium losses, even when people ate a
high salt diet. Buffered vitamin C, which is ascorbic acid formulated with the carbonate
forms of calcium, magnesium, and potassium, might also have a slight alkalizing effect.
Some supplements, such as coral calcium, have been promoted as a way to restore an
alkaline pH. But coral calcium is largely calcium carbonate, which is far less expensive
as a generic supplement. It's also not as well absorbed as the citrate form. http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_acid_alkaline_pH_3.html
Nutritional recommendations are as varied as political and religious beliefs and,
sometimes, held to just as stridently. Cordain tries to rise about the controversies by
looking to our biological and genetic heritage.
He points out that people, until relatively recently, were hunter-gatherers whose diets
consisted of a combination of lean animal foods (including fish) and uncultivated
vegetables and fruits. Based on his analyses of the diets of 229 pre-modern cultures,
Cordain has calculated that the "average" ancient diet consisted of 55 percent
animal foods and 45 percent plant foods. The animal foods included healthy fats as well as
protein, and the plant foods consisted of leaves, stalks, fruit, seeds, tubers, and roots.
Grains and cow's milk didn't enter the picture until about 7,000 to 10,000 years ago, too
short a time for genetic adaptation.
Cordain's recommendations, found in The Paleo Diet and The Paleo Diet for
Athletes include too many veggies to be a knockoff of the Atkins' high-protein diet.
(Eating very lean meats, he adds, reduces saturated fats amount to only 10 percent of
calories.) Nor do you have to be a vegetarian to gain the alkalizing benefits of fruits
and vegetables. "It takes about 35 percent of total calories as fruits and veggies to
produce a net alkaline load," he explains. "What's so hard about one-third of
your plate being veggies?"
Still, if you have visions of veggies coming out of your ears, the answer is really
simple. Cordain, Sebastian, and Brown suggest cutting back on breads, pastas, and other
grain-based foods, as well as "high-glycemic" foods such as potatoes. They're
all nutrient-poor foods, compared with protein and veggies.
"It's all another scientific justification for what your mother always told
you," notes Brown. "Eat your fruits and veggies."
How to test your own pH
You can test your own pH simply and inexpensively. All you need are some pH test
strips. Tear off two three-inch strips. As you as you awaken, before you drink or eat
anything, put some saliva on the test strip. Compare the color to a pH color chart that
comes with the test strips. Next, measure the pH of your second urination of the
morning. To do this, urinate on the strip or collect the urine in a plastic or glass (not
paper) cup and dip the test strip. Again, compare the color to the pH color chart.
Decker Weiss, N.M.D., of Scottsdale, Arizona, recommends doing the saliva and urine tests
for 10 mornings in a row. "Ignore the top three and bottom three tests because
they're extremes. Average the remaining four to determine your pH," he says. Weiss
aims for a pH of 6.8 to 7 in his heart patients, and 7.2 to 7.4 in his osteoporosis
patients. You can retest a few weeks after changing your eating habits. http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_acid_alkaline_pH_4.html
You can order the test strips from www.alkalineforlife.com or by calling 888.206.7119. One roll, which is
good for a few dozen tests, is $13.95.
The pH of common substances
14.0 Sodium Hydroxide: Alkaline
13.0 Lye
11.0 Ammonia
10.5 Milk of Magnesia
8.3 Baking Soda
7.4 Human Blood
7.0 Pure Water: Neutral
6.6 Milk: Acid
4.5 Tomatoes
4.0 Wine and Beer
3.0 Apples
2.2 Vinegar
2.0 Lemon Juice
1.0 Battery Acid
0.0 Hydrochloric acid
Acid-Yielding Foods
Spaghetti
Corn flakes
While rice
Rye bread
White bread
Whole milk
Lentils
Beef
Pork
Very Acid-Yielding Foods
Parmesan cheese
Processed (soft) cheeses
Hard cheeses
Gouda cheese
Cottage cheese
Brown rice
Rolled oats
Whole wheat bread
Peanuts
Walnuts
Salami
Luncheon meat, canned
Liver sausage
Chicken
Cod
Herring
Trout
Eggs
Alkaline-Yielding Foods
Apricots
Kiwifruit
Cherries
Bananas
Strawberries
Peaches
Oranges
Lemon juice
Pears
Pineapple
Peaches
Apples
Watermelon
Celery
Carrots
Zucchini
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Green peppers
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Lettuce
Green beans
Onions
Mushrooms
Mineral water
Very Alkaline-Yielding Foods
Spinach
Raisins
Dates
Note: All fruits and vegetables are alkaline yielding, unless they have been pickled or
marinated. http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_acid_alkaline_pH_5.html
Scientific Citations
Rylander R, Remer T, Berkemeyer S, et al. Acid-base status affects renal magnesium
losses in healthy, elderly persons. Journal of Nutrition, 2006;136:2374-2377.
Frassetto L, Morris RC, Sellmeyer DE, et al. Diet, evolution and aging. The
pathophysiologic effects of the post-agricultural inversion of the potassium-to-sodium and
base-to-chloride ratios in the human diet. European Journal of Nutrition,
2001;40:200-213.
Sebastian A, Frassetto LA, Morris RC. The acid-base effects of the contemporary Western
diet: an evolutionary perspective. Eds: Alpern RJ and Heber SC, in The Kidney:
Physiology and Pathophysiology, 9th edition. In press.
Patterson BH, Block G, Rosenberger WF, et al. Fruit and vegetables in the American diet:
data from the NHANES II survey. American Journal of Public Health, 1990;80:1443-9.
Li R, Serdula M, Bland S, et al. Trends in fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in
16 US states: behavioral risk factor surveillance system, 1990-1996.
Menendez JA, Decker JP, Lupu R. In support of fatty acid synthase (FAS) as a metabolic
oncogene: extracellular acidosis acts in an epigenetic fashion activating FAS gene
expression in cancer cells. Journal of Cell Biochemistry, 2005;94:1-4.
Macdonald HM, New SA, Fraser WD, et al. Low dietary potassium intakes and high dietary
estimates of net endogenous acid production are associated with low bone mineral density
in premenopausal women and increased markers of bone resorption in post menopausal women. American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2005;81:923-933.
Sebastian A, Harris ST, Ottaway JH, et al. Improved mineral balance and skeletal
metabolism in postmenopausal women treated with potassium bicarbonate. New England
Journal of Medicine, 1994;330:1776-1781.
Sellmeyer DE, Schloetter M, Sebastian A. Potassium citrate prevents increased urine
calcium excretion and bone resorption induced by a high sodium chloride diet. Journal
of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2002;87:2008-2012.
About the author
Jack Challem, known as The Nutrition Reporter(tm), is a personal nutrition coach based
in Tucson, Arizona. Jack is one of America's most trusted nutrition and health writers,
and has written about research on nutrition, vitamins, minerals, and herbs for more than
30 years. He is the author of The Food-Mood Solution: The Nutrition and Lifestyle Plan
to Feel Good Againem> (Wiley, 2007), Feed Your Genes Right (Wiley, 2005), The
Inflammation Syndrome (Wiley, 2003) and the lead author of the best-selling Syndrome
X: The Complete Nutritional Program to Prevent and Reverse Insulin Resistance (Wiley,
2000). His next book, Stop Prediabetes Now, will be published in the fall of
2007. He writes The Nutrition Reporter(tm) newsletter and contributes regularly
to many magazines, including Alternative Medicine, Better Nutrition, Body
& Soul, Experience Life, and Let's Live. Jack's scientific
articles have appeared in Free Radical Biology & Medicine, Journal of
Orthomolecular Medicine, Medical Hypotheses, and other journals. In
addition, he is a columnist for Alternative & Complementary Therapies. Jack
is a frequent speaker at nutritional medicine conferences and to consumer health groups.
Email him via www.foodmoodsolution.com
http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_acid_alkaline_pH_6.html