Essential Details on Acid and Alkaline-Forming Effects of Food and How Your Body Maintains a Healthy pH
Posted By Dr. Ben Kim on Jul 28, 2008
Is it true that each food that you eat can cause your blood to become more alkaline or acidic?
The answer is: not really. The pH of your blood is tightly regulated by a complex system of buffers that are continuously at work to maintain a range of 7.35 to 7.45, which is slightly more alkaline than pure water.
If the pH of your blood falls below 7.35, the result is a condition called acidosis, a state that leads to central nervous system depression. Severe acidosis - where blood pH falls below 7.00 - can lead to a coma and even death.
If the pH of your blood rises above 7.45, the result is alkalosis. Severe alkalosis can also lead to death, but through a different mechanism - alkalosis causes all of the nerves in your body to become hypersensitive and over-excitable, often resulting in muscle spasms, nervousness, and convulsions; it's usually the convulsions that cause death in severe cases.
The bottom line is that if you're out and about, your body is doing an adequate job of keeping your blood pH somewhere between 7.35 to 7.45, and the foods that you are eating are not causing any wild deviations of your blood pH.
So what's up with all the hype about the need to alkalize your body? And what's to be made of the claim that being too acidic can cause osteoporosis, kidney stones, and a number of other undesirable health challenges?
As usual, the answers to such questions about human health can be found by understanding basic principles of human physiology. So let's take a look at the fundamentals of pH and how your body regulates the acid-alkaline balance of its fluids on a moment-to-moment basis.
pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a liquid is. With respect to your health, the liquids involved are your body fluids, which can be categorized into the following two main groups:
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Intracellular fluid, which is the fluid found in all of your cells. Intracellular fluid is often called cytosol, and makes up about two-thirds of the total amount of fluid in your body.
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Extracellular fluid, which is the fluid found outside of your cells. Extracellular fluids are further classified as one of two types:
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Plasma, which is fluid that makes up your blood.
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Interstitial fluid, which occupies all of the spaces that surround your tissues. Interstitial fluid includes the fluids found in your eyes, lymphatic system, joints, nervous system, and between the protective membranes that surround your cardiovascular, respiratory, and abdominal cavities.
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Your blood (plasma) needs to maintain a pH of 7.35 to 7.45 for your cells to function properly. Why your cells require your blood to maintain a pH in this range to stay healthy is beyond the scope of this article, but the most important reason is that all of the proteins that work in your body have to maintain a specific geometric shape to function, and the three-dimensional shapes of the proteins in your body are affected by the tiniest changes in the pH of your body fluids.
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A liquid that has a pH of 7 is considered to be neutral (pure water is generally considered to have a neutral pH). Fluids that have a pH below 7 - like lemon juice and coffee - are considered to be acidic. And fluids that have a pH above 7 - like human blood and milk of magnesia - are considered to be alkaline.
It's important to note that on the pH scale, each number represents a tenfold difference from adjacent numbers; in other words, a liquid that has a pH of 6 is ten times more acidic than a liquid that has a pH of 7, and a liquid with a pH of 5 is one hundred times more acidic than pure water. Most carbonated soft drinks (pop) have a pH of about 3, making them about ten thousand times more acidic than pure water. Please remember this the next time you think about drinking a can of pop.
When you ingest foods and liquids, the end products of digestion and assimilation of nutrients often results in an acid or alkaline-forming effect - the end products are sometimes called acid ash or alkaline ash.
Also, as your cells produce energy on a continual basis, a number of different acids are formed and released into your body fluids. These acids - generated by your everyday metabolic activities - are unavoidable; as long as your body has to generate energy to survive, it will produce a continuous supply of acids.
So there are two main forces at work on a daily basis that can disrupt the pH of your body fluids - these forces are the acid or alkaline-forming effects of foods and liquids that you ingest, and the acids that you generate through regular metabolic activities. Fortunately, your body has three major mechanisms at work at all times to prevent these forces from shifting the pH of your blood outside of the 7.35 to 7.45 range.
These mechanisms are:
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Buffer Systems
- Carbonic Acid-Bicarbonate Buffer System
- Protein Buffer System
- Phosphate Buffer System
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Exhalation of Carbon Dioxide
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Elimination of Hydrogen Ions via Kidneys
It's not in the scope of this article to discuss the mechanisms listed above in detail. For this article, I only want to point out that these systems are in place to prevent dietary, metabolic, and other factors from pushing the pH of your blood outside of the 7.35 to 7.45 range.
When people encourage you to "alkalize your blood," most of them mean that you should eat plenty of foods that have an alkaline-forming effect on your system. The reason for making this suggestion is that the vast majority of highly processed foods - like white flour products and white sugar - have an acid-forming effect on your system, and if you spend years eating a poor diet that is mainly acid-forming, you will overwork some of the buffering systems mentioned above to a point where you could create undesirable changes in your health.
For example, your phosphate buffer system uses different phosphate ions in your body to neutralize strong acids and bases. About 85% of the phosphate ions that are used in your phosphate buffer system comes from calcium phosphate salts, which are structural components of your bones and teeth. If your body fluids are regularly exposed to large quantities of acid-forming foods and liquids, your body will draw upon its calcium phosphate reserves to supply your phosphate buffer system to neutralize the acid-forming effects of your diet. Over time, this may lead to structural weakness in your bones and teeth.
Drawing on your calcium phosphate reserves at a high rate can also increase the amount of calcium that is eliminated via your genito-urinary system, which is why a predominantly acid-forming diet can increase your risk of developing calcium-rich kidney stones.
This is just one example of how your buffering systems can be overtaxed to a point where you experience negative health consequences. Since your buffering systems have to work all the time anyway to neutralize the acids that are formed from everyday metabolic activities, it's in your best interest to follow a diet that doesn't create unnecessary work for your buffering systems.
Acid and Alkaline-Forming Effects of Common Foods
Generally speaking, most vegetables and fruits have an alkaline-forming effect on your body fluids.
Most grains, animal foods, and highly processed foods have an acid-forming effect on your body fluids.
Your health is best served by a good mix of nutrient-dense, alkaline and acid-forming foods; ideally, you want to eat more alkaline-forming foods than acid-forming foods to have the net acid and alkaline-forming effects of your diet match the slightly alkaline pH of your blood.
The following lists indicate which common foods have an alkaline-forming effect on your body fluids, and which ones result in acid ash formation when they are digested and assimilated into your system.
Foods that have a Moderate to Strong Alkaline-Forming Effect
Watermelon
Lemons
Cantaloupe
Celery
Limes
Mango
Honeydew
Papaya
Parsley
Seaweed
Sweet, seedless grapes
Watercress
Asparagus
Kiwi
Pears
Pineapple
Raisins
Vegetable juices
Apples
Apricots
Alfalfa sprouts
Avocados
Bananas
Garlic
Ginger
Peaches
Nectarines
Grapefruit
Oranges
Most herbs
Peas
Lettuce
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Foods that have a Moderate to Strong Acid-Forming Effect
Alcohol
Soft drinks (pop)
Tobacco
Coffee
White sugar
Refined Salt
Artificial sweeteners
Antibiotics (and most drugs)
White flour products (including pasta)
Seafood
White vinegar
Barley
Most boxed cereals
Cheese
Most beans
Flesh meats
Most types of bread
Please note that these lists of acid and alkaline-forming foods are not comprehensive, nor are they meant to be.
If you're eating mainly grains, flour products, animal foods, and washing these foods down with coffee, soda, and milk, you will almost certainly improve your health by replacing some of your food and beverage choices with fresh vegetables and fruits.
The primary purpose of this article is to offer information that explains why I believe that you don't need to take one or more nutritional supplements for the sole purpose of alkalizing your body. Your body is already designed to keep the pH of your body fluids in a tight, slightly alkaline range.
The ideal scenario is to make fresh vegetables and fruits the centerpieces of your diet, and to eat small amounts of any other nutrient-dense foods that your appetite calls for and that experience shows your body can tolerate.
If you have any questions or comments on this topic, please feel free to add them to the comments section below. Thank you.
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Dr. Ben Kim's Newsletter
Dr. Ben Kim Says:
Newsletter on acidity/alkalinity
Kudos to you for explaining so well the importance of introducing more fruits and vegetables as we nourish our bodies!
Of all the alkaline gurus out there, you have given the best explanation for the non-medical person!
I am sending it to all my McDonald's Chompin' friends for them to digest mentally!
Thankyou once again!
Acid & Alkaline balance
I am always grateful to receive your newsletters which are packed with valuable information in a digestible format. This article grabbed my attention in particular as I have been drinking alkaline water for 2 years and have only just (with the help of an ND) figured out that my candida / yeast overgrowth problems that I suffered for the same length of time as the water intake was due to increasing my body's alkaline level. I know that a lot of women suffer from candida and I urge them to read this article and look at their diet to try and tackle this issue like I did. Thank You!
Acid & Alkaline balance
your candida problem*is the result of depleted levels of magnesium and potassium which occur whenever substances are taken into the body that increase alkalinity. the Mayo Clinic commented on this very thing some time ago in connection to successful (non-mainstream) alternative therapies such as cesium chloride and cesium carbonate for cancer treatment as cancer cells begin to die within 6-8 hours when pH is raised to 8.0. proponents of alkalinated water products rarely if ever mention this little known fact*.
OMG Candida!
OMG, thank you for this statement. I find it quite interesting that you attribute candida to a magnesium and potassium deficiency. I was diagnosed with bipolar 8 years ago and when first hospitalized and given the diagnosis I had candida outgrowth on my legs and hands. Doctors, however, did not know what it was and neither did I at the time. Every time I have been hospitalized for the BP disorder, my potassium levels were low and it was right before my cycle. Over the years I have struggled with the candida and the BP and have begun to eat more whole foods discovering that my outbreaks are fewer except during the week before my cycle when my progesterone is at its highest. Based on what you are saying, the progesterone must be creating a more acidic environment??? Also, based on what you are saying, my extreme mood swings could be a result of these deficiencies?????
Thank You!
You cannot imagine the connectin that has been made by reading that! You simply cannnot imagine it, especially after looking up the possible side effects of low potassium and magnesium, depression, delirium, and psychosis! Eight years of my life I have been dealing with this diagnosis that I believed to be incorrect. I lost everything in my life as a result of this....lately since taking more supplements I have been feeling better. Unbeknownst to me, which I discovered earlier this week, I was supposed to be taking more than one of the magnesium pills and potassium pills. Every time I am hospitalized I have this rash somewhere on my body and it is right before my cycle starts. I have been arguing with doctors for years saying it was hormonal or some sort of deficiency. Since beginning hormones last month I was better but the depression and mood swings would not go away, the psychosis was eliminated with the hormones. I am now going to up my potassium and magnesium. I went to the ER last week with chest pain and blood pressure spikes, only to return home and find out that magnesium and potassium stopped the heart palps and the pains in my legs and arms!
Thank You!!!
i really appreciated your
i really appreciated your article. it made me understand about acid and alkaline balance but according to this article i have several questions for you. How can body get too much acid? Does alkaline balance diet helps prevent cancer or other diseases? if body has too much hydron ion where would they go? is it true that no matter how much alkaline food we not the affect the pH balance?
To prevent cancer or reduce chances of having cancer should we eat foods that have more alkaline?
Fascinating, complex system
I love your logical, science-based approach to every health topic as it's exactly how I approach these issues as well. As a university student studying physiology, I just learned all the information included in this article this past year and this is not only a great, quick refresher but also helps me to use the information I've learned in a different setting.
I had just come across a few websites advocating alkalizing supplements and alkaline-water and had been wondering about them, and low and behold, it's the next topic you cover! I had assumed basically what you concluded: the body's pH is barely altered from hour to hour and day to day, but by balancing the acid and base levels in our body through the foods we eat we may be able to reduce the amount of work/energy our buffering systems (the lungs and kidney which I learned about) must use to keep our pH levels in check. The human body (or any mammal's for that matter) is truly amazing!
Acid/Alkaline-forming effects of Food...
Thank you for this very informative article and for not trying to sell your brand of alkalizing supplement like pretty much the rest of the acid/alkaline cyberworld is up to!
Your article on "Acid and Alkaline-Forming Effects of Food . ."
As usual, your professional, factual and straight forward article makes it easy for lay people to understand this very important aspect of our body and how it works to keep us healthy.
Dr Kim, I have been reading your newsletter for some time now and the above article really set my mind at ease about the Acid/Alkaline question. It is so easy for a professional to frighten or confuse people who have less knowledge on a subject - without making false statements even, but couching the information in such a way as to alarm us. It is apparent that your goal is to inform and educate people so that we are in a position to make informed decisions about how we treat our bodies.
For that, and the work that you and Margaret do is much appreciated. I know that a lot of your time is spent in writing these articles for us so I just wanted to be on record to say a big THANK YOU!!
Thanks for this article.
Thanks for this article. This is the best way I have ever heard someone explained this alkaline and acid forming effect. Thanks again.
Acid and Alkaline Forming Effects
This was a good article but I have a question. I have had 3 episodes of kidney stones and have been told I have high levels of acid in my system. I drink a gal. of water daily to keep my system flushed out and do not drink anything else but a casual glass of milk occasionaly (once twice a month) I work hard at keeping the acid foods down in my diet. I just learned even with this life habit I have another kidney stone. It was found by accident when I had an x-ray from a car accident. It is to alrge to pass and will have to be lasered. Do you have any suggestions.
Acid/Alkaline forming effects
Are you drinking well water? I had 13 stones during a two year period of drinking well water. Am using only distilled now (but also take good minerals) and have not been bothered with kidney stones for several years.
acid alkaline balance
Hi,
you drink a gallon of water daily, what type of water?
Many types of water are acidic like some bottled and all distilled and R/O are dead water and acidic in pH.
what is the makeup of your diet? most people eat more acidic foods than alkaline. alkaline foods are simply vegetables and fruits, preferably raw. pasteurized juices are not necessarily alkaline.
Highest acidity items include drugs, caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners, grains-esp. white flour, processed foods, alcohol, fast foods, meat, dairy. Acidity can also form through negative emotions-- anger, fear, worry, etcetera.
Acidity does not mean grapefruit, lemons, oranges--these are alkaline forming in the body.
Ideally try to have 80% alkaline foods and 20% acidic in your diet. Try a change and notice the results, allow for a detox period.
hope this helps, rachel........
Food for good digestion
I found this to be true but, Why do some people eat healthy but seem to be craving
sweet deserts a lot? What kind of food can just wipe out the sweet tooth?
I had an invelievable
I had an unbelievable craving for sugar and sweets. In fact, I had dessert as a dinner a few days in the week. The only thing worked effectivley to stop that was drinking "Thyme water". You need to add 1/4th of a glass to a glass of water.
Using Baking Soda to alkalise the body
We have been using a pinch of baking soda in our water. After we checked the p.h we were shocked to find most bottled water and tap water is very acidic ..often below 5. Adding just a pinch is enough to bring it to a ph7.
Baking Soda/Akaline
Make sure your baking soda is aluminum free. Some say they are and others say not a thing. Making me think they may have aluminum in them?
I am told one teaspoon a day is sufficient with out crossing the line. Yet, I agree with this article one should not need a supplement.
May consider if they have a condition (cancer)that causes a very acidic condition. This is also used to prevent Metastasize(spreading) of cancer by some chemo therapies.
Some alternative medical use this basic method to eliminate cancer in Italy(Dr. Tullio Simoncini).
acid-alkaline balance
I believe that the foods and drinks we ingest CAN AND DO have a direct influence on our pH. From my own experiences and from what I have read and studied a regular, almost consistent ALKALINE pH (and it appears the ideal is a 7.365)
helps us to maintain health and wellness. I am a holistic practitioner (a reflexologist) but am not a nutritionist or an M.D.
Personally I have been a vegetarian for 22 years. I have tried every form of vegetarianism and tried being 100% raw on and off for years. I am not 100% raw but i believe the energy level you feel and high nutritional benefits and enzyme benefits are wonderful. I believe raw foods are good for everyone to add to their daily routine however I think going 100% raw is too extreme for most people. Try to consume 50% of your foods in a raw form and see how your energy level feels.
One or two days of consuming lots of acid forming foods is not going to ruin your life. Consistently consuming stimulating foods and drinks, those labeled highly acid-forming, is what creates the problem(s). Most Americans consume MOST of their calories from acid forming foods, and instead we should concentrate on consuming 80% alkaline forming foods and only 20% acidic forming; thats' the key to balance.
In addition negative emotions are highly acid forming such as anger, fear, worry, hatred, jealousy, resentment, and so on. Its' not just becoming alkaline by eating well and getting fresh air, sunshine and exercise.
A regular, consistent acidic pH shows that your body is not working efficiently to detoxify/eliminate acidic metabolic wastes. These wastes will build up and gradually create symptoms like pain, arthritis, lumbago, loss of energy, insomnia, and so on. As the acidity increases the symptoms get worse and can include becoming chronic, and leading to diabetes, leukemia and even cancer.
Want to see if your food consumption CAN and will affect your acidity and energy level? try a personal experiment. Buy some pH paper at the health food or pharmacy. Test your pH a few times a day and see how it measures for each experiment. Remember if you test your urine it will naturally measure more acidic than your saliva.
For the first two to four weeks eat an extremely CLEAN diet-plenty of fresh raw vegetables and fruits, good quality water, and stick to 50% raw and overall 80% alkaline and 20% acid foods. Whatever is comfortable for your palate to have yet stick to the alkaline/acid 80/20 balance.
For the second two to four weeks consume a typical S.A.D.
diet. Have all of the white flour products, soda, sugar, alcohol, fast foods, meat, dairy, coffee, cooked foods and pre-packaged foods you want. See how your energy level and general health feel. See what happens to your pH testing.....
Yes I believe the food we eat and drink DOES make our pH go alkaline or acidic. The Standard American Diet is maiming and killing American's and is the cause of multiple symptoms and diseases. The only cure for anything is the removal of the "cause" (prevention), this is the root of the problem. I believe over-acidity and an over-acidic pH is the basis for most if not all symptoms and disease.
Among the foods I do consume I have lots of fresh raw vegetables and fruit and love green salads and raw smoothies.
I do sell an alkaline-ionized water filtration system (the Alkal-Life) and I also do drink water with a pH of 9 or 10. It helps me maintain a healthy alkaline pH in my body and gives me clean water to drink and to cook with.
namaste', rachel
www.AmethystBiomat.com
PH Balancing
I stumbled across PH balancing a couple of years ago while looking for information on my gum recession and tooth decay. I have had very positive effects from following the guide lines to balancing my PH. I have just recently started researching PH balancing again for the reason my Aunty is very sick with Cancer. I came across your article and so far it has given me the best explanation on how this PH balancing in our body works. Thank you very much I am going to forward this info to my Aunty.