Alkaline Diet and Acid-Base Balance

Can a certain diet really change the pH value of the blood? And can an alkaline diet really help lose weight and reduce cancer risk? Maybe yes, but not for the reasons you might think.

Basic or alkaline nutrition

The alkaline or basic diet, also known as the acid-base diet, is one of many trendy diets that claim to improve health, help with weight loss, and even fight cancer. But is all this true? If you want to learn more about the alkaline diet, here we have compiled the most important information.

What is alkaline nutrition?

The alkaline diet is based on the theory that some foods can cause the body to produce more acid, thus, for example, over-acidifying the blood and urine. This is said to be harmful to health. On the other hand, consuming certain foods that reduce the acid content of the body is supposed to help with weight loss and also improve health (e.g., slow down cancer growth and osteoporosis).

Insert: The pH value: Measure of Acid and Base/Alkaline

When discussing alkaline nutrition, the term pH value often comes up. Simply put, the pH value is a measure of how acidic or basic (or alkaline, which is the same) something is.

The pH value ranges from 0 to 14:

• 0 to 6.9 is acidic
• 7 is neutral
• 7.1 to 14 is alkaline (or basic)

Advocates of this diet recommend keeping the body's pH value (blood, urine) as alkaline (above 7) and not acidic (below 7) as possible.

However, it must be known that the pH value varies greatly in different parts of our body. Some areas are acidic, others are basic - there is no fixed value. For example, the pH value of urine varies depending on diet and other factors, the stomach is very acidic due to its hydrochloric acid (pH value from 2 to 3.5). In contrast, human blood is very constant with a pH value of 7.36 to 7.44 and always slightly alkaline; larger changes here could be fatal.

That’s why our body has many effective ways to precisely regulate its pH balance. This is called acid-base homeostasis. [1] It can hardly be influenced by (correct or incorrect) diet, or only minimally. And indeed, there is no solid scientific evidence that an alkaline diet has health effects through any pH changes. [2]

Acidic and alkaline foods

Let’s look at the specific recommendations of the alkaline diet: proponents classify foods into:

neutral and alkaline foods that are recommended, and acidic foods that should be avoided.

Looking at the recommended and not recommended food groups, this actually aligns well with general healthy eating guidelines.

• acidic: meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs, grains, alcohol
• neutral: natural fats, starch, and sugars
• alkaline: fruits, nuts, legumes, and vegetables

The alkaline diet is quite healthy because it encourages a high intake of fruits, vegetables, and healthy plant-based foods, while limiting processed foods and junk food.

Conclusion

In general, a alkaline diet is healthy because it is based on valuable and minimally processed foods. However, there is no reliable evidence that this has anything to do with pH levels. [3]