The pH Nutrition Guide to Acid / Alkaline Balance

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The pH Nutrition Guide to Acid / Alkaline Balance

_http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_acid_alkaline_pH_1.html_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_acid_alkaline_pH_1.html)

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.

 

 

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.

 

pH, acidosis and osteoporosis

 

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.

 

 

What should you eat for proper pH levels?

 

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.

 

You can order the test strips from _www.alkalineforlife.com_

(http://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.

 

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, 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 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.foodmoodsolution.com)