In Part 1 of this series, I talked about why the basic premise of the acid-alkaline theory is flawed, and I showed that the evidence doesn’t support the idea that a net acid-forming diet is harmful to bone health. Now I want to look at the effect of dietary acid load on other health conditions.
Can the acidity or alkalinity of your diet affect your risk for muscle loss, cancer, and more?
Muscle Wasting
There is some research claiming that acid-forming diets cause muscle wasting, and the proposed mechanism is similar to that of the acid-ash hypothesis of osteoporosis. Some researchers hypothesize that in order to eliminate excess acid and maintain homeostasis, the kidneys must steal amino acids from muscle tissue. (1, 2) Just as a higher acid load increases calcium in the urine, it also increases nitrogen in the urine, leading some to believe that an acid-forming diet causes net nitrogen loss. However, some of these studies neglect to measure nitrogen balance, so this is not necessarily true. (3, 4) In fact, one study showed that a higher acid diet improved nitrogen balance! (5) This theory also does not acknowledge that protein, although it’s acid forming, actually increases the body’s ability to excrete acid. (6) Finally, the one observational study concluding that alkaline diets improve lean muscle mass didn’t even measure the overall acid load of the diet. (7) Instead, they used potassium intake as an approximate measure, and just assumed that the observed improvement in muscle mass was due to the diet being more alkaline. This, in addition to the limitations that always accompany observational data, makes the evidence less than convincing, especially since the clinical trials have conflicting results.
Cancer
One of the more popular claims of the alkaline diet is that it can cure cancer. Proponents say that because cancer can only grow in an acidic environment, a net-alkaline diet can prevent cancer cells from growing, and can eliminate existing cancer cells. This theory is incorrect for a few reasons. First of all, the hypothesis depends on the ability of food to substantially change the pH of the blood and extracellular fluid, which I’ve already shown is not the case. (8, 9, 10) Second, cancer is perfectly capable of growing in an alkaline environment. The pH of normal body tissue is 7.4, which is slightly alkaline, and in almost every experiment done with cancer cells, they are grown in an environment at that pH. (11)
Now, cancer cells do tend to grow better in an acidic environment, but the causality is reversed. Once a tumor develops, it creates its own acidic environment through up-regulated glycolysis and reduced circulation, so the pH of the patient’s blood no longer determines the pH of the cancer. (12) It’s not the acidic environment that causes the cancer; it’s the cancer that causes the acidic environment. To top it all off, the only comprehensive review on ‘diet-induced’ acidosis and cancer did not even acknowledge this as a valid mechanism by which an acid-forming diet could increase cancer risk. They discuss a few biological pathways that could potentially link dietary acid load and cancer, but they admit that it’s mostly speculation and there’s no direct link. (13)
Other Effects
There are a few observational studies attempting to link acid-forming diets with hypertension, but the results are mixed. (14, 15) There’s also limited observational data associating higher acid loads with things like high cholesterol, obesity, and insulin resistance, but there are no proposed mechanisms or clinical studies to validate the hypotheses. (16, 17)
There are a few review papers examining the effect of acid-forming diets and health, but as you’ve seen above, the evidence they have to review is sparse. (18, 19, 20, 21, 22) If you read these papers, you’ll notice that whenever they cite trials showing the deleterious effects of acidosis, those trials were done on patients with chronic kidney disease or diabetes-induced acidosis. In the studies done on healthy people, they’re given ammonium chloride to induce acidosis. What you won’t see are clinical trials showing health consequences from purely ‘diet-induced’ acidosis. (Perhaps because ‘diet-induced’ acidosis doesn’t exist!) You’ll also notice that the strongest two hypotheses deal with osteoporosis and muscle wasting, and that links with other diseases are speculative or based on observational data. And although conflicts of interest don’t necessarily mean their conclusion can’t be trusted, it’s interesting to note that one of these reviews was funded by “pH Sciences®,” which “develops and manufactures patent-protected ingredients that safely and effectively manage biological pH levels.” (23)
In sum, I am not convinced that an acid-forming diet has negative effects on healthy people, based on the science. But just to be sure, it’s always a good idea to observe healthy cultures to see if there’s any anthropological evidence to support or refute the hypothesis.
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Evolutionary Data
There are a few studies where researchers attempted to approximate the net acid load of Paleolithic diets. One estimated that 87% of pre-agricultural people ate net-alkaline diets, and proposed this discrepancy with our modern diets as a possible reason for our declining health. (24) However, a more recent study estimated that only half of the world’s hunter-gatherer societies eat net-alkaline diets, while the other half are net acid-forming. (25) They reason that the other estimate is likely accurate for our earlier ancestors, because their tropical habitat would’ve provided ample fruits and vegetables. This idea is confirmed by another analysis that showed increasing acid load with increasing latitude. (26) Even without the study, it stands to reason that as humans moved into less hospitable environments, the animal content (and acid load) of their diet increased.
Given the subpar clinical science on this topic, I think the evolutionary argument is far more convincing. If half of the world’s hunter-gatherer populations avoid the ‘diseases of civilization’ on an acid-forming diet, it would seem that acid load has little to no bearing on overall health. For some case studies, we can always look to Weston Price’s work to see quite clearly that acid-forming diets are not detrimental to health. Based on Price’s descriptions, many of the traditional diets he studied would have been primarily acid-forming, including the Swiss, the Masai, and the Inuit. Yet despite their high intake of animal foods or grains and their comparatively low intake of fruits and vegetables, they maintained excellent health.
Conclusion
I don’t deny that many people have seen significant health improvements when switching to an alkaline diet, but there are many possible reasons for this not having to do with pH balance. Eating more fresh produce is rarely a bad idea, especially when it displaces nutrient poor processed foods. A person switching to an alkaline diet would significantly reduce their consumption of grains, which could cause dramatic health improvements for somebody with a leaky gut or gluten sensitivity. Dairy would also be minimized, which would help those with dairy sensitivities. And although pure sugar isn’t an acid-forming nutrient, many laypeople claim that it is, so alkaline diets tend to contain far less sugar than a standard Western diet.
Between the scientific evidence (or lack thereof) and the anthropological research, I think we can be confident that the acid load of our diets doesn’t negatively impact healthy people. For those with renal failure or similar conditions that affect kidney function, it’s a different story—there’s certainly room for manipulation of urine pH in the treatment of those conditions. But for someone with functioning kidneys, there should be no concern that an acid-forming diet will harm health.
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Hi. I have an hereditary kidney disease (ADPKD) and although my kidneys are still working 100%, my Nephrologist was concerned about my stubbornness of following a paleo-diet instead of a vegetarian diet. He gave me ph strips to check my urine and I got worried when I found out that my urine’s ph is usually acid. Happy to learn that that just means my kidneys are working fine! But that said, how harmful can animal protein really be to kidneys? Does animal protein itself could accelerate the renal failure when there is an existing condition?
Also, two of my siblings are at about 50% renal function and their doctors have recommended to decrease considerably their intake of animal protein. When and how exactly does animal protein impair renal function? I recognize that this is a complicated topic, but most Nephrologists seem to praise the intake of grains and legumes above animal protein and fat and I am having a hard time finding arguments against that. All the paleo gurus are so focused in Diabetes, Heart disease and Cancer that no one talks about Kidney disease.
Thanks a lot!
Teresa,
To quote the “Paleo Doc”,.. “The first step in a diet for people with chronic kidney disease is to make sure you don’t eat too much protein. Protein intake in the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) 15% of total calories consumed while Paleo folks consume 20% to 30% of their calories from protein. This is way too much protein for someone with kidney disease. Although there is still some debate on the benefits of a low protein diet in kidney disease, it appears prudent to limit the amount of protein consumed to 0.6 to 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.”
Teresa,
Just so I am clear, I am NOT a doctor, and as you state, have had very little exposure to kidney disease, per se. Having said that, I personally would choose NOT to revert to consuming grains if I was diagnosed with a medical condition of any sort… but that is just me.
Thanks for your reply. The thing is, 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein would be in my case one can of tuna a day, for example. What should I replace the extra protein with so I am not starving? It is almost as if I would have to be vegan for 2 meals a day (assuming I could) and eat animal protein in the third meal only. I do appreciate your advice, don’t take me wrong, but it is easier said than done. I agree that there is strong evidence against including grains in the diet, but I wish the evidence against protein intake in chronic kidney disease was equally convincing and offered real alternatives.
Teresa,
There is a common misunderstanding that PALEO means HIGH PROTEIN… this is incorrect, it is HIGH SATURATED FAT… and this is what I would add to your diet for satiation… particularly items like organic butter and coconut, sour cream and yoghurt (full-fat/organic), etc. As far as I know (you might want to double check with your physician), tubers should be ok also… perhaps you can slowly increase the overall protein (meat) with non-meat sources such as whey, hemp, etc., without causing problems with your situation. I am curious, have you had testing for genetic markers and food intolerances ?
Teresa,
The journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine published a study that evaluated the antioxidant activity of the oral application of oil palm leaves extract (OPLE) in mice with diabetes. Just 4 weeks after administering a relatively high dose in the animals, scientists observed that OPLE began to improve kidney dysfunction and fibrosis, which are commonly associated with diabetic neuropathy.
You may wish to consider adding cold-pressed, organic palm oil to your diet. A word of warning however, REAL palm oil has a VERY distinct taste that many westerners do not care for…
It does not matter the protein source, high protein is hard on the kidneys regardless. The reason I say “protein source” is because a lot of people do not realize that not only do plants contain protein, they can contain significantly more protein than animal protein. For example. beef is 22% protein while fish is 24% protein. On the other hand plant pollen is 30% protein while chlorella is 60% protein.
The risk to the kidneys comes from the uric acid formed from the breakdown of the amino acids. Amino acids are ammonia based. As the ammonia is released the ammonia is highly alkaline and super toxic to the body. To protect the body the ammonia reacts with carbonic acid to form uric acid. Normally uric acid is hydrolyzed and passed safely through the kidneys and intestines. If someone eats high protein though and does not drink enough water to properly hydrolyze the uric acid the uric acid will pass through the kidneys as very sharp crystals cutting up the kidney tissue.
Keep in mind that many people go way overboard on their protein intake. A person can only utilize about 3 ounces of protein daily. Even major athletes will only utilize maybe 3 1/2 ounces of protein daily. Taking anything beyond that does not increase muscle mass as some believe, it is just waste. And again, the body has to spend more energy to deal with first converting the toxic ammonia in to uric acid then hydrolyzing the uric acid for safe passage.
Americans tend to have a higher percentage of kidney disease in part due to the high protein consumption and lack of water intake. Although, there are other causes such as the hereditary conditions, high blood pressure and insulin damage in diabetics.
James,
While I respect your knowledge and apparent experience, there has been some debate in recent years if this is actually the case… referencing that the human body processes plant and animal protein identically… new studies are conflicted in this area. You might want to look into this on your own. There are also other potential factors that may contribute to “kidney disease”, and we don’t know everything. I tend to err on the side of caution…
arnold
There are chemical differences between animal and plant protein sources such as their fatty acid profile. But the body cannot differentiate between an amino acid such as tryptophan from a plant versus tryptophan from an animal source. The tryptophan from both sources is chemically identical. And since the amino acids are the source of the uric acid that can lead to the kidney damage that is what I am focusing on in my statement and not the other compounds such as the fatty acids.
As for other potential factors involved in kidney disease, yes I pointed that out in my last post and gave some examples. One I did forget to mention that is a fairly common cause is the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin, etc), naproxen (Aleve), celecoxib (Celebrex), etc. NSAIDs work by constricting blood vessels, which can shut off the blood supply to critical organs. Therefore, known side effects of NSAIDs include kidney failure, liver failure, heart attack and stroke. Contrary to popular belief these DO NOT require long term use nor an overdose. I know of 4 people who developed kidney failure after taking a single recommended dose of ibuprofen. And there were 2 dozen deaths from ibuprofen induced hepatitis that occurred during clinical trials of ibuprofen.
What about amino acids supplements on empty stomach?Same result and kidney gamage?
Hi, all. Reading the two-part posts have left me more confused than ever. First of all, I am not of the medical field nor of the chemistry field, but of a different science field; thus, I can only draw conclusions based on the perspective and evidence provided by the writer. I have read quite a lot of articles in regard to this topic of alkaline forming diet theory and so far, I think I can conclude for the following ideas below:
(1) From what I learned, everyone has a chance of forming cancer. That chance will rise or drop depending on lots of factors like the age of the person, the health of the person (in term of their immune system), exposure to radiation, etc. Since the immune system is in charge of fighting most of the diseases, I would assume that it will be the main standing point for all cancers. If it is weaken (like in the case of acidity), cancer would likely to thrive much easier than if it isn’t.
(2) An imbalance in the body’s pH often lead to lots of health problems such as hormone level, kidney problems, low energy, immune deficiency, acnes, etc.
(3) Foods and drinks should affect the body’s pH in some ways or forms. While our body has lots of regulating functions, there must be some external factors that would cause our body’s pH to change. If not, our body’s pH level would stay in the nominal range for the majority of the time. Since we typically can’t control much of our exposure to the environment, the only thing we can control would be what we eat or drink.
(4) Alkaline and acid balance diet is a common practice for Cantonese speaking people and Chinese herbalists.
Apart from those ideas mentioned, I am still at a lost on how foods affect our body. For starter, one would speculate that high pH foods and drinks would make the body higher pH, but most articles indicate otherwise. They state that eating more alkaline forming foods and drinks would achieve this goal; yet, what confuses me is how lemon and lime being such a low pH would end up being alkaline forming.
Then I learned about the buffer system and kidney involvement in the link below, which lost me on how food would even affect the pH level while these are in the work:
http://drbenkim.com/ph-body-blood-foods-acid-alkaline.htm
After reading these posts here, I think I need some good clarification, which bought me to here writing this comment given that lots of people here are somewhat understanding the work of our body.
Que Teac, et al…
James and I have explained that there is no such thing as “body” pH… you have numerous “ph’s” in your body at the same time… blood, urine, tissue, stomach, colon, bile, CS fluid, semen, etc… there is no such thing as ONE acid/alkaline balance… this is a COMPLETE misnomer.
Oh, sorry about the confusion. I should have mentioned that “body” pH refers to blood’s pH level since blood’s pH level should be a good representation of your body’s overall health. Still, my question remains to be unanswered.
Que Trac,
FYI, blood pH is held within a VERY narrow range, or you’re dead… so I don’t see how it is an indicator of “health”… so, what EXACTLY, is your question ?
Thank you so much for that information. It allows me to search for answers to most of the questions I had, so I am done with my questions for now.
I just found out that the word(s) I should be using is called “acidosis” or “alkalosis”. It is extreme case of pH imbalance in the blood, so it is possible for the blood to be off the nominal range and the source is our long term diet.
Even though the pH level of food and drink don’t affect much in term of pH level in the blood, they do affect the amount of fats we have in our body. Eating too much acidic foods and/or drinking too much acidic drink, for instance, would lead to gained fat that can’t be excreted from our body. As these stored fats accumulate over time, it would bring upon a lot of complications such as acidosis and alkalosis. Obesity problem would, in turn, mean a higher risk of cancer for people as well. Thus, it explains why alkaline forming diet would typically lead to be a better health and why many people draw the connection of diet and pH balancing even though diet has an indirect connection to pH balancing.
Again, acidosis or alkalosis are EXTREMELY rare.
And again, diet plays virtually no direct effect on pH of the body.
The accumulation of body fat DOES NOT cause acidosis or alkalosis. As stated many times the body’s main means of pH regulation is respiration. We continue to breathe regardless of how much body fat we have and thus our respiration maintains our pH regardless of how much body fat we have.
First of all, sorry that I missed reading your post; it was a separate comment rather than a reply. And thank you for pointing out most of the flaws in my statements. It has allowed me to fully understand the whole confusion now.
The whole problem starts with this confusion: When someone tell you are “too acidic”, you are supposed to eat more alkaline forming foods. When someone tell you are “too alkaline”, you are supposed to eat more acidic forming foods. In reality, being “too acidic” supposed to mean “not enough acid” (or hypochlorhydria) and being “too alkaline” supposed to mean “not enough alkaline”; thus, when you are “too acidic”, you are supposed to eat more acidic foods or alkaline forming foods to balance out the pH imbalance in the stomach. The stomach needs to be within pH level of 1.5 to 3.5 to digest properly. When you are “too acidic”, it means that you eat too much alkaline foods (e.g. junk foods) for your stomach to be able to digest. Thus, it would explain why drinking acidic fluids like lemon or lime helps with digesting. On the other hand, if nothing is done to help the stomach with the digestion, waste acid would be drained from the bowel to balance out the pH level. This will lead to the experience of burping, bloating, heartburn, and if worse, GERD. Fortunately, if you are “too alkaline” meaning that you eat too much acidic foods, your stomach can easily balance the pH level with the help of pancreas and gallbladder.
Going back to the “too acidic” problem, as a result of the waste acid being drained from the bowel, most of the nutrients absorption that supposed to occur in the small intestine doesn’t occur. Over time, this causes malnutrition, which will in turn leads to inefficiency of acid excretion. Excess acid would cause the pH level of blood to drop. Of course, to maintain normal operation for the blood, each part of the body would have to make up for the changes in pH level just to keep pH level of blood within the right level. Depending on which part of the body is making up for the changes, negative symptoms would appear in that area. Acnes, for example, would mostly likely occur when the skin cells become acidic. And the skin cells become acidic due to the fact it is making up the changes in pH level in blood. Thus, your body works around the pH level of blood.
That explains why blood acidosis or alkalosis are EXTREMELY rare. Your body would have adapted to the changes before you are able to measure it. Going back to the main question at hand “does food affect pH level?”, the answer is “yes and no”. Food doesn’t affect pH level directly, but it does indirectly through a chain of problems later on.
“From what I learned, everyone has a chance of forming cancer.”
Yes, just like everyone has the chance to be struck by lightening, but this does not mean it is going to happen.
“Since the immune system is in charge of fighting most of the diseases, I would assume that it will be the main standing point for all cancers.”
Actually no. Cancer cells have several mechanisms developed that make it extremely difficult for the body to detect the cancer. If they were readily detected by the immune system they would be destroyed as the first cancer cells start to develop
“If it is weaken (like in the case of acidity), cancer would likely to thrive much easier than if it isn’t.”
The immune system is not weakened by acidity. If anything it would be weakened by excess alkalinity since 1. Most pathogens thrive in an alkaline environment. 2. The immune system is reliant on acids such as ascorbic acid to function properly.
Furthermore, studies have proven that cancer cells are highly alkaline and excess alkalinity of healthy cells morphs the healthy cells in to cancer cells.
People need to keep in mind though that excess alkalinity and excess acidity are extremely rare since the body maintains such a tight pH control
“An imbalance in the body’s pH often lead to lots of health problems such as hormone level, kidney problems, low energy, immune deficiency, acnes, etc.”
Excess acidity again is extremely rare and has basically nothing to do with most diseases. In the case of kidney problems an excess of uric acid can cause kidney problems, but excess alkalinity of the urine can also cause kidney problems.
“Foods and drinks should affect the body’s pH in some ways or forms.”
As explained so many times food and drinks have virtually no direct effect on pH.
“While our body has lots of regulating functions, there must be some external factors that would cause our body’s pH to change. If not, our body’s pH level would stay in the nominal range for the majority of the time.”
The body’s main means of pH regulation is respiration. If the body starts becoming acidic respiration increases to reduce acidity. If the body starts becoming too alkaline then respiration slows to build of acidity.
“Alkaline and acid balance diet is a common practice for Cantonese speaking people and Chinese herbalists.”
Says who? I have been studying herbalism for decades including Chinese herbalism and have NEVER seen anything about pH balance being brought up by traditional Chinese herbalists.
“Apart from those ideas mentioned, I am still at a lost on how foods affect our body. For starter, one would speculate that high pH foods and drinks would make the body higher pH, but most articles indicate otherwise.”
Again, foods and drinks do not really affect pH directly. All foods and drinks are made acidic in the stomach, then alkalized in the intestines and finally end up metabolized in to beneficial acids for the body.
“what confuses me is how lemon and lime being such a low pH would end up being alkaline forming.”
Simple, ALL foods and drinks are made acidic in the stomach. Then as the chyme leaves the stomach the pancreas releases alkaline sodium bicarbonate to neutralize the acid in the chyme to protect the intestines. This is the so-called “alkaline response”. It does not matter if you ingest lemon juice, cake, steak, pie, spinach, fruit, candy bars or whatever, you will still cause this same alkaline response. So the claims that lemon juice is one of the few foods that cause an alkaline response is misleading. All foods will cause the same alkaline response.
“Then I learned about the buffer system and kidney involvement in the link below, which lost me on how food would even affect the pH level while these are in the work:
http://drbenkim.com/ph-body-blood-foods-acid-alkaline.htm”
Because food has virtually no direct influence on pH. Again, respiration is the body’s main means of pH control, not diet.
Look up Dr. Sebi
He has helped people cure themselves of many diseases with an alkaline diet and other principles, including AIDS, Herpes, Cancer…. and well you will find out – when you do the research. I think the author of this post should look this up as well. I am sure he has the best interest of his readership in mind.
Sounds like you took that information straight from his sales site. Problem is that there is no evidence to back the claims.
From reading his product site I see he also claims that all diseases stem from acidity, which is blatantly false. In fact, most pathogens thrive in an alkaline environment. And cancer cells have a more alkaline pH than healthy cells since an acidic internal pH rapidly kills cancer cells. Therefore, this casts doubts on his other claims as well.
Hi, I have found the post very interesting, however lacking in scientific evidence to support the claims by referencing “observational studies” – any academic knows this simply lacks credibility and is straight out embarrassing. I note the “observational studies” were referred to when it came to the reason why alkaline diets don’t work.
Further, the writer makes a comment about clinical trials being the appropriate, then why embarrass yourself and refer to observational studies.
The writer has made some good points, but the truth is, nutrient devoid foods is what is causing illness and disease. When you understand biochemistry of the human body, and understand that water, vitamins and minerals and proteins including animal proteins are essential to health.
pH is essential to health and I have seen the changes in people who adopt these principles.
For someone who believes so much in the scientific process I am very surprised that you are ignoring so much proven science. For example, the fact that diet has virtually no influence on the blood pH of the body.
Then there is the vague claim of “nutrient devoid foods causing illness and disease”. That may be the case is some rare cases such as scurvy or beriberi, but they do not account for the majority of illnesses or diseases.
If someone really understands the biochemistry of the human body then they will also know that not only is the body composed primarily of various acid compounds, but also the fact that cellular energy production is also dependent on acids (citric, malic, pyruvic).
People get so hung up on the alkalize for health myth. The body regulates its pH tightly regardless of what you eat and there is no such thing as a truly acid or alkaline food.
All foods are made acidic in the stomach then the chyme alkalized in the intestines. From there the fibers and digestive byproducts are metabolized further in acids in the long run.
The whole alkaline food myth is based on the ash content of food, which does not take in to account the naturally occurring acids in the foods, nor their acidic byproducts from metabolism. That is really bad science.
Jane, et al,
The “positive results” observed by people when the diet is altered, is usually due to the ELIMINATION of a causative agent(s). This is typical of nonsense diets like the blood-type, the alkaline diet, and others of that ilk… and can often be relatively short-lived. The human digestive system is far more complex than scientists had really understood, until recently…and doesn’t “modify” itself according to what we wish to believe…
Thank you! I have been taking tablets! I bought a magnesium lotion a while back, but thought I didn’t need it because of the tablets.
I will switch to the time released and start using the mg lotion. I didn’t know the locations on the body mattered, but I will try your suggestions.
Can you say more about hyperparathyroidism?
Hyperparathyroidism is simply overactive parathyroid glands. The most common reason for hyperparathyroidism are benign tumors of the parathyroid glands that cause the parathyroid glands to secrete excess parathyroid hormone (PTH). PTH in turn releases calcium from the bones leading to increased serum calcium. These benign tumors are relatively common, and are believed to result from insufficient levels of active D3.
Keep in mind that simply getting sunlight or ingesting vitamin D from food or supplements does not guarantee sufficient levels of active D3. Plants and milk contain inactive D2. This can be converted in to inactive D3 if the liver is functioning properly, then in to active D3 if the kidneys are functioning properly. Supplements contain either inactive D2 or inactive D3, both of which need to be converted in to active D3.
The parathyroid glands will also release PTH in response to low serum calcium and perceived low calcium.
In the later case this would be pseudohyperparathyroidism. In this case there is a perceived low calcium state due to an increase in serum phosphorus. When the phosphorus levels are excessive the there is an imbalance between the calcium-phosphorus ratio. This is perceived as low calcium by the parathyroid glands. Therefore, in response the parathyroid glands release PTH to release calcium from the bones to balance out the calcium-phosphorus ratio.
Common sources of excess phosphorus consumption include red meats, dairy and colas.
And again I want to clarify that the loss of bone calcium results in osteopenia and osteomalacia, not osteoporosis. Osteoporosis results from the loss of collagen matrix, not mineral loss. The most common causes of collagen loss or deficiencies of silica and/or vitamin C.
PJane,
There are many variables concerning low Mg…
One of the most critical is the lack of bio-available Mg in our soils… no Mg in the soil, no Mg in the plants we (and our animals) consume…
Mg is best supplemented in the diet with time-release capsules (NOT tablets), and externally applied Mag chloride.
Women should apply from just below the breasts to just above the pubic bone, men on shoulders and upper back, right before bedtime.
I want to thank you for this article about the alkaline diet and the science (or lack of science) behind it. Unfortunately, it’s easy for a layperson, such as myself, to get lost trying to follow the evidence (or lack of…).
I was having severe headaches – or one perpetual headache – for months. I saw four different doctors, was given many different meds, had several different tests, suffered injections…nothing helped. I even had my mother move in with me! I was hurting.
Finally, I stumbled upon an article about magnesium deficiency and headaches. Started supplements. Glory halleluiah. I was just thankful. Days later – I was mad. Why didn’t any doctor think to tell me this?
Now I take magnesium daily and when I forget for any length of time, head pain reminds me. Eventually, I wanted to know, Why am I deficient in magnesium? Which brought me to an alkaline diet.
A myriad of ailment subsided and I dropped significant weight early on. However, started having cramps in my calves. I went off the diet, went back to eating meat and drinking milk, and the cramps went away. So did the inflammation and blah, blah, blah.
I returned to the alkaline diet but made sure I got plenty of calcium. The cramps returned, I went off the alkaline…inflammation returned. I was starting to feel crazy.
I want to do what is best for my body! I want to be educated. I read your article and it gave me permission to think about the fact that maybe omitting bread, sugar, milk, and processed stuff made me feel better…and that had nothing to do with ph levels.
Thank you again for the information.
If you can say something about the causes of magnesium deficiency, I would be grateful.
I can see part of your problem is where you said “but made sure I got plenty of calcium”. Most people do not realize that calcium is a muscle contractor and magnesium is a muscle relaxant. The reason magnesium works for migraines and tension headaches is because the magnesium works as a calcium channel blocker (CCB), or put more simply a calcium antagonist. See these:
http://medcapsules.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=387
Same reason IV magnesium is used to treat the severe hypertension associated with preeclampsia in hospital settings. So the principle of magnesium acting like a natural CCB is known by doctors, but there is no incentive for them to recommend magnesium over the pharmaceuticals the doctors get kickbacks on or are invested in to.
By antagonizing the action of calcium the magnesium allows the muscles, including blood vessels, to relax. This relaxes the muscles in the neck to prevent tension headaches and prevents the initial blood vessel contraction that are the onset of migraines.
Although there is no real such thing as an “alkaline diet” the foods generally promoted in this diet tend to be high in magnesium, which again relaxes muscles by antagonizing calcium.
If you taking extra calcium you could have caused a calcium-magnesium imbalance since they are antagonistic to each other. High serum calcium can cause high blood pressure, constipation, mental fogginess and muscle spasms/cramping.
Why your diet in meat and dairy helped is unclear since these actually promote inflammation due to the increased intake of pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid. There is obviously a lot more to your health issues that has not been presented. For example, you mentioned that you started feeling better after losing the weight. Maybe a lot of your issues were due to having a diabetic or pre-diabetic state, or the pain was in the joints being irritated by the extra weight.
There could have also been something else in your previous diet contributing such as if you were consuming too much phosphorus, which can cause cramping due to pseudohyperparathyroidism. Or you were not getting enough vitamin D in your “alkaline diet” leading to cramping from hyperparathyroidism, which is often caused by benign parathyroid tumors believed to be caused by a lack of vitamin D.
The drop in inflammation when going back to meat may have to do with the kinds of meat you are consuming as well. As where meats provide the inflammatory omega 6 fatty acid arachidonic acid, if the meat you were primarily consuming may have also been rich in anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids. For example, deep cold water fish are high in anti-inflammatory omega 3s.
Magnesium deficiencies can occur for different reasons. Digestive or absorption disorders, form of magnesium being ingested, consumption of processed carbohydrates or alcohol, etc.
Wow!
You have no idea how enlightening this is! I have always been a dairy freak! Which, thanks to you, now easily explains the calcium magnesium imbalance.
The lack of vitamin D is likely an issue. I’ve been in a windowless classroom for years and then moved to Seattle.
My words must have twisted in meaning, because when I returned to eating regardless of alkaline my cramping lessened. However, the inflammation did come back. I now understand about the omega differences and will pay attention to that.
Can’t thank you enough.
You are right that we do not need to consume large amounts of protein. The body can only utilize roughly 90 grams of protein a day. Even major athletes can only utilize a tiny amount more. So these athletes who are loading up on protein thinking they are going to build muscle are fooling themselves. Taking excess protein will only make the body work harder trying to deal with the metabolites of the amino acids from the protein. This starts with the highly alkaline and highly toxic ammonia, which is then converted in to uric acid. Uric acid is a primary antioxidant for the body, but is problematic in excess so the body has to hydrolyze the excess uric acid to safely pass it through the urine and feces. It does not matter if the amino acid comes from meat or plants though, they will all be metabolized in the same manner.
What a lot of people do not realize is that plants also contain proteins, and in some cases can contain more protein than meats.
Also, there is no real alkaline or acid food. This myth is based on the ash analysis of foods, which does not take in to account the naturally occurring acids within the plants, nor the acids formed from their metabolism.
And no, diet plays virtually no role in pH regulation. Respiration is the body’s main method of pH regulation. And there are still various other mechanisms the body uses beyond respiration that the body uses to maintain pH.
Asian women on a traditional Asian diet do not go through menopausal symptoms, but this has nothing to do with the supposed pH of diets. The traditional Asian diet is rich in phytoestrogens that have a weak estrogenic effect, but block the effects of stronger estrogens. Therefore, they have a balancing effect on the hormones and help support bone health.
Dairy is not good for bones at all. The protein from milk blocks calcium absorption, but not the absorption of phosphorus. The increased absorption of phosphorus leads to the development of pseudohyperparathyroidism. In response the parathyroid glands release parathyroid hormone leading to the loss of bone calcium. This results in osteomalacia or osteopenia, not osteoporosis, which is a loss of collagen matrix instead of bone minerals.
I am not an expert but of what I understand the alkaline diet does not say that we should eat very little protein. We should eat reasonable amount of proteins at every meal but it is very important to combine it with alcaline based foods like salads and vegetables that will balance the acidity. I think it is a matter of proportion. If for example you are an athlete and need to consume a little more proteins you should not forget to eat lots of salads too, to balance the acidity.
I am not a scientist and don’t know if our diet can really affect acidity levels in our blood, but I think that at the end of the day it is all about balance. I have personally observed that eating too many animal proteins is not good for me by many aspects. Of what I understand the animal proteins produce toxins in your organism that if consumed in excess intoxicate your body, tiring your organs especially liver that tries to process them and eliminate them, leading to several health problems. This toxins can be neutralized by consuming lots of vegetables and fruits.
Proteins are good to consume in reasonable amounts and are essential to built muscle, energy and strength (the reasonable depending on your age, activity and any particular health condition) but it is very important to alternate the sources of proteins with fish and also vegetable proteins (different kind of beans, lentils and other high protein vegetables) which many people often forget.
The Mediterranean diet is ideal for that which includes many vegetarian dishes that are high in proteins (lentils, beans, chickpeas) as alternative to meat dishes.Also It is known that Japanese nutrition is also very healthy which includes lots of fish and vegetables.
An article that I read was saying that asiatic women ( I think especially Chinese and Japanese) did not have menopause syndrome ( which includes osteoporosis) until the western way of eating was introduced into their culture (much higher in animal proteins especially dairy products). Despite the fact that in the Western culture they advise us to consume a lot of dairy products as the ultimate food that will keep our bones strong, we still have big rates of osteoporosis and other bone diseases.
I welcome intelligent discourse, and one should never be sorry for having an opinion… however, having said that, I have addressed most of the supposed “rational” arguments for humans being vegetarian on my other blog, and I invite anyone who thinks that the practices of Halal or Kosher are “humane” or “proper”, to witness these practices firsthand by going to the butcher and actually seeing how the animals are slaughtered…
http://www.misterpaleo.blogspot.com
Thank you for the invitation. I’m sorry for the off topic.
It is a fine blog you have there by the way.
A last comment about Jesus and Mohammed:
You are right Mohammad did eat meat but there are stories about him that claims he did try to eat less meat and that he said many times to his followers that the animal that was going to be slaughtered should not feel fear and specially when it came to camel slaughtere that the knife should be hidden so that the camel would not realize what was going to happen before the last second…
When it comes to Jesus the white man he was according to the roman story a meat eater and he died at the cross…. But Jeshua the black man from North Africa who was stoned to death was a strict vegetarian, his parents was also strict vegetarians and the same applied to the tribe he came from… They were al strict vegetarians according to the cosmic bible OAHSPE.
Dear Poria,
Since we are getting “off-topic” for this blog, why don’t we continue this on my blog…
http://www.thewanderingmystic.blogspot.com
How come that most of the disease you have in the USA for example cancer are 600 times more than in India? Can it be because of your diet?
One of my closest friends here in Sweden cured her arthritis by becoming a vegan after the best doctors in the country told her that she had a future in the wheelchair!
You only need to take a look at the health situation you have in the us to see that something is very wrong with your diet…. Another friend of mine his father ( who is a doctor) got cancer and when the doctors told him he had maximum 6 month left he cured him selv only by changing his diet.
Here you have a good explanation why one should become a vegetarian :http://krishna.es/meat.html
Poria,
Are you Indian, or of Indian descent ? Have you ever been to India ? Or lived there ??? Most Indians aren’t true vegetarians.
Most people in India don’t live long enough to get cancer due to the lack of sanitation and malnutrition. Also most Indians are not vegan but are ovo-lacto vegetarians.
No I’m not From India, I’m originally from Persia ( Iran) but I live in Sweden.
It is true as you say, specially in later years many Hindus have learned from the Muslims and Britains and adapted ( from their masters) the meat eating diet and India is actually one of the bigger biff exporters in the area despite the Cow being considered a holy Creature….but still there are many who are vegetarians and a big part of the most Indians diet is still vegetarian food.
Also in other countries where people mostly consume vegetarian food the same lack of cancer and other western diseases are to been observed!
When one observes the human body and how it is designed one dos not have to be genius to realise that it is a body created for a vegetarian.
And also beside the health issue any intelligent and conscious person should underestand how wrong, sinful/harmful it is for us humans as spiritual beings to imprison, harm and kill other living beings….. And not to mention after doing that feasting on their dead bodies.
I’m not a hindu or Buddhist, nor am I a Muslim or christian. My thoughts are not based on any religious believe.
But I do believe that the first step toward a higher consciousness is by purifying ones body and by not eating dead food you get a better health on the way!
Peace.
Dear Poria,
I must respectfully disagree with your comments… Hindus comprise approx. 75% of the Indian population, but only Brahmins are vegetarian (lacto). There are a few Buddhists as well. But the vast majority of the population are NOT strict vegetarians.
I also must disagree with your take on “spirituality”… Everything comes to this planet to die. Your assumption that plants are somehow less “valuable” in the grand scheme of things, and don’t feel pain, or deserve respect, is fallacious at best. Some of this world’s most “spiritual” personas have consumed flesh, including Jesus and Mohammed. Believe what you wish… but we (humans) are DESIGNED as omnivores… and that is what is required for most of us to be “healthy”.
Dear Mr Paleo
When it comes to the spiritual aspect I would not say that the plants are not valuable.
Everything do come to this planet to die but a rabbit is not created to feast on a rat! Some animals are created as carnivores and some are not. The human body is not a body of a carnivores.
In India there are as you say 25% vegetarians but the rest of the populations diet is also very much vegetarian influenced. That is the reason why you dont have cancer and many other diseases.
Now when it comes to spirituality and higher consciousness, I really don’t mean to offend or provoke but regardless of what the story of Muhammed and Jesus is about let me ask you a question:
Imagine if some creature much more advanced and stronger than human beings would invade our planet and the first thing they do is to capture al of us and keep us in cages. Then starting with our elders they skin them and use the skins to create things with and using there boned to decorate their homes with. Then they separate the new born babies from our female and slaughter them for their tender meat and feed us adults with the rest products so that we can become fat and juicy. They are also very clever so they start to manipulate our genes so that we can become more fat and juicy and they turn the population of earth to a meat industry to provide for their families.
My question is, would these being represent for you a symbol of higher consciousness ? Would you then say oh Muhammad and Jesus eat flesh so let these creatures do as they will or would you use your own instincts to deside what’s right or wrong?
The Veda scriptures which are the greates and oldest literature we have talks about not killing and vegetarian diet, how about that?
Now same question applies but what if those creatures came to our planet and helped al the living creature to evolve and the were al vegetarians would they represent for you a higher consciousness?
Now an experiment: take out some meat fromYour refrigerator and leave it on your table beside some fruits and vegetables a couple days, will the vegetables and the fruits smell as dead as the meat?
Thou shall not kill!
Thou shall keep you body pure!
And when you learn that let us meditate.
Peace and respect.
Good lord! Did you read the same article that I did?
The main point of the article is that basically food does not alter blood pH. So essentially the very term “alkaline diet” is nonsensical.
I don’t see anywhere in either the article or the postings that eating sugar is promoted.
You might want to read Dr. Price’s book “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.” One that that you should probably conclude after reading that is that many diets can be healthy and that the quality of the food you consume is important.
While there is research that essentially shows that plain sugar can be considered a poison to the body (using the specific biochemical reactions in the body), as in the case for most thing the “poison is in the dose.” [UC Berkley I believe] Of course in the case for sugar it is also strongly affected by what is consumed with it.
Poria;
First, if you are referring to the Christian Bible or the Jewish Torah then the “Thou shalt not kill” is a misinterpretation. The correct interpretation is “Thou shalt not commit murder”
Also, Mr Paleo did not say that we are carnivores. What he said is that we are omnivores which is correct.
It is too easy to say the health discrepancy is solely due to being vegetarian — or not. Consider the differences in how the water is treated (additives of chlorine and fluoride, etc.), and the chemical additives in processed packaged and canned foods. Consider the hormones and feed and antibiotics administered to the meats Americans eat. Do East Indian people ingest huge quantities of white sugar and monosodium glutamates?
Given the above hazards you are correct in a way. Choosing to eat organically grown fruits and vegetables, minimally processed, instead of the above would help to restore body balance.
Probably prayer and fasting (de-toxing) too. Also joyful exercise.
First, in the interest of full disclosure I eat the same acid forming diet most Americans enjoy. However, this summer myself and three friends ages 34 to 42 started drinking baking soda and water everyday. We had heard it was a natural way to cut down on soreness after working out (none of us are spring chickens anymore and were getting fairly sore). We all drink a little under a teaspoon on an empty stomach at least 2 hours before eating two to three times a day. The results have been pretty amazing:
1) Cut down soreness one and two days out after a workout amazingly well. I would say at least 50% to 75% less sore.
2) Oddly, and I haven’t read this anywhere else: After two months one guy had a wart on his hand go away and two guys had all their skin tags go away.
3) December 20 as I type and none of us have had a cold or flu yet this year in spite of all our wives/girlfriends/children having caught the flu at least once since we started. We lovingly refer to them as our “control group.”
The theory behind it was simple enough. Baking soda gives you’re body an easy way to neutralize acid, including lactic acid buildup after working out. As far as we’re concerned it’s better than steroids and truly works
When I get a canker sore lemon water, cucumbers, and carrots clear them up.
Thank you for this very informative article.
I came here feeling frantic and as if I am in a death sentence because of my acidic urine.
I know from past experience that I need animal fats and protein in order to feel good, and this seems so contradictory to all of the alkaline/juice diet/raw food propaganda. I feel a bit lost and confused.
My goal now is to make sure I drink clean water with minerals added, lots of greens and vegetables and as much raw as my gut can handle–in addition to my good eggs and meat.
Thank you again for your balanced and scientific article.
Many people have food intolerances. No single diet works for everyone. Good for you for paying aattentionto what you eat and how you feel. I did an elimination diet last December. No wheat, corn, soy, dairy, sweeteners, peanuts, and eggs. In 3 weeks my IBS symptoms cleared, total cholesterol dropped 100 points (even though I had double the red meat intake), I lost 25 lbs of inflammatory water weight, my bacne cleared up, and the funny rashes I was getting went away. I re incorporated those foods one at a time and discovered that wheat and dairy were causing most of my problems. Lots of soy gives me a headache. Lots of eggs were causing the intermittent rashes.
Normal urinary pH is 4.6 to 8.0.
Highly alkaline pH levels can indicate kidney disorders or urinary tract infections or can occur from vomiting. It can also be increased by some medications.
By the way urinary pH does not reflect blood or tissue pH as some keep falsely claiming.
Wow James that is a loaded statement…..There are tons of research papers confirming that urine pH indicates the pH of your tissue….I am not sure what research you are quoting here???? If your urine shows a pH of 4.6 -6.0 in my experience people are pretty sick….Our urine is most acidic at around 2am and most alkaline at around 2pm….so testing it around those times is misleading.
Hardo,
I think if you do your homework, you will find that James is correct… urine values are EXCRETORY values, which is the body balancing blood and tissue values, which are HOMEOSTATIC (relatively).
http://sciencebasedpharmacy.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/your-urine-is-not-a-window-to-your-body-ph-balancing-a-failed-hypothesis/
It is amazing how much valid info is out there…I respect your statements and am always open to new insights…and there are so many conflicting messages coming into play….tell me then how do you measure tissue pH?
Hardo,
This is not my area of expertise, but as far as I know, the only truly accurate determination of tissue pH is thru electrode analysis…
If there is tons of research then you should have no problem providing links to some of this research so it can be reviewed. I hear claims of so much research all the time but when called on their bluffs of course these people never supply any links to the studies since they don’t really exist in the first place.
Again, urinary pH DOES NOT reflect blood or tissue pH. The body’s pH is primarily regulated by respiration. This means most of the acidic protons formed during cellular energy formation are dealt with by respiration, not excretion through the urine.
In addition, as I already pointed out there are various things that can alter urinary pH such as medications, foods, supplements or bacterial infections.
As for normal urinary pH values, if you don’t believe me then look it up from another credible source. Any medical site will tell you the same thing I already told you.
Thank you James for your effort and time spent in sharing your opinion.
I am always interested in learning more and happy to alter my opinion when it is called for….and at the same time there are aspects in your reply that are offensive in nature as you have absolutely no idea who I am and what my back ground is…as such it is arrogant to judge me just because I have different experiences and opinions…I do respect yours and am happy to work with them as part of my continued education. I have high regard for emergency medicine and no regard for general medicine…it is at best a trap for easily influenced sick people. In my 29 years of working with people I have at least 3500 individuals who have greatly benefitted from my work and guidance….including myself who only 3 years ago was gravely ill due to wrong medical treatment. If the medical establishment knows so much about cancer why has this disease not been eradicated? To close my part in this chapter I would like to suggest James…without prejudice…that history has shown us clearly that we have been wrong so many times ….eg: blood letting etc….I would never insist on being right but more so committed to learning more and happy to alter my opinions….have you ever considered that you too may be wrong and all those that you use as backup. Humility is something we must learn it does not come with a degree. I wish you well!
Hardo,
Could we speak privately ?
I can be reached thru my blog…
Arnold
http://www.misterpaleo.blogspot.com
“you have absolutely no idea who I am and what my back ground is”
That goes both ways Hardo. One of the things you do not know about me is that I have worked my butt off for decades trying to get holistic medicine legitimized in the allopathic arena. When someone comes along with completely bogus information they post as fact such as digestion only occurring in the mouth, urinary pH reflecting tissue pH, etc. this gives the allopathic medicine even more ammunition to call us quacks. So if a few egos have to be bruised to keep legitimate, not bogus, holistic claims from being presented then so be it. This is not about you nor is it about me. It is about maintaining our freedom to utilize what therapies we choose and see fit to use. We have already lost so much of this freedom and we don’t need people who know nothing about real medicine or how the body really works spouting disinformation to give the establishment more reason to further take away our rights.
James….Thank you once again for dedicating your life to such noble cause….I mean that!!
I have worked in conjunction with MD’s , Psychologist and other and often there is mutual respect for one another…which is great…I have no problem sending my clients to their MD and it seems some are open to referring them to me as well. I am sharing opinions here on this site for respectful discussion and am open to all comments …positive or not so positive…hence thank you for your contribution …no doubt I will do my bit to make sure I continue to create a balanced view. Keep up the good work!!!
One more idea : isn’t it true that any kind of anaerobic activity (strength training, high-intesity workout, etc.) produces lactic acid as a by-product of metabolism? This really does increase acidity of blood (lactate blood levels/workout intensity are actually regularly measured in sport medical labs)
That said, acid-alcalic diet theory would suggest that doing any anaerobic exercise is pretty unhealthy to do.
No, this is an old, outdated myth. It was once thought that muscles cells generate lactic acid during intense exercise. If you look at recent studies it has been proven that NO human cells produce lactic acid. Even cancer cells do not produce lactic acid. Cells produce lactate, which is non-acidic and reduces acidity during its formation. Lactate is then used as fuel by cells.
Unfortunately, too many researchers incorrectly use the terms lactic acid and lactate interchangeably even though they are not the same thing. This contributes to the confusion and the myth that humans cells produce lactic acid.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131111185514.htm
Your thoughts now?
Thanks for sharing that link!
The foods consumed might have more to do with the diabetes risk than the acid/alkaline balance–not neccessarily a direct link to acidity but a correlation.
ie, If a person is of healthy weight, exercises, eats lots of veggies but also lots of meat and eggs and overall lower carb diet, he/she might have acid load but from healthier sources and not be a diabetes risk.
Right off the bat I can see where the study is severely flawed. Look at how they tested for “acidity”. They were not testing blood pH, which is the only way to accurately determine if acidosis exists.
By the way, type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 95% of diabetic cases most often results from a decline in chromium and/or magnesium levels, which leads to the closing of insulin receptors. See:
http://medcapsules.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=3160
http://medcapsules.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=3159
I have two friends, people that I have known personally for many years, who decided to quit the chemo and radio and cure treat their cancer by switching to a mainly raw, alkaline based diet. They are both healthy and cancer free many years later.
I do not know if it was specifically the alkalinity of the diet or not but the decision to stop following western medical advice and rely wholly on nutrition and a shift in attitude towards personal responsibility seemed to have played a crucial role in their survival.
I have been struggling with urethral pain and discomfort, much like the symptoms of an UTI. It seems related to my low carb diet, which naturally includes a high protein consumption. After visiting my doc and a urologists and having a million tests done, with no reults, i decided to do some research on my own. Some of the information I found suggests that the high acidity of my urine, caused by my diet could be the culprit. So I have been taking these drops to alkalize my water and measuring my pH and it seems like the pain is related. I really don’t know what to do because I don’t want to give up my diet. Staying fat is not an option. I like the way low carb high fat diet makes me feel other than this stupid urinary problem. Any suggestions? Should I be taking soda bicarbonate? Should I be taking magnesium supplements? I don’t eat sugar, and I eat a fair amount of veggies, but apparently not enough. All the information out there is overwhelming…
Gergana,
I cannot give medical “advice” on a blog but, there are several “conditions” which can result in low urine pH. You state that you have had quite a few “tests”, and that the results were inconclusive ?
Sodium Bicarbonate would alkalinize your urine, but at the price of your stomach’s ability to properly digest. Almost everyone in America should be taking a magnesium supplement, as most of us are deficient. Time-release is best. It might be of benefit to add white potatoes and starchy root vegetables to your intake. And, are you eating to satiation ?
Hi Gergana
If your UDI was made of copper you may be suffering from copper toxicity.
If your body is acidic it will do everything it can to get rid of it and bring the ph up to 7.3, including robbing your bones of calcium!
I would recommend calcium & magnesium supplementation (Magnesium is required for your body to properly utilize calcium, along with vitamin D of course. Eating more vitamin D foods may also help.
If you are suffering from inflammation, then check your Vitamin B12 levels.
Dr. Kresser explains in this article that science does not support the theory of calcium being pulled from your bones, but rather that the kidneys buffer acidity.
Hi Gergana,
Are probiotics and lactofermented foods a part of your diet?
Are you drinking pure water (not from the city water system)?
Are you drinking enough water?
Are you using soap or anything else that could irritate the urethra?
Hang in there! It sounds like you are on a really great track and are committed–keep trying different things and don’t get discouraged. There’s always an answer out there; sometimes it just takes more time to find them 🙂
Lisa
this blog is misleading. Raising ph has been proven to kill cancer and cancerous tumors. The medical industry would not want you to know due to the money they would lose from the high number of patients they treat daily. It would break the system!!!
Did you read the article?
He specifically addresses the theory about tumors and pH and why the theory doesn’t hold. A healthy diet/cleanse might kill cancer, but what Dr. Kresser writes is that this is not necessarily caused directly by the acid/alkaline balance in the urine.
Raising pH DOES NOT kill cancer cells. I really wish people would stop reading bogus propaganda sites and repeating this myth.
Fact: Cancer cells have a more alkaline pH than healthy cells.
Fact: Research has shown that excess alkalinity of healthy cells causes them to convert in to a cancerous state.
Fact: Cancer cells require an alkaline internal pH to survive and thrive. Studies have shown when the proton transporters of cancer cells are blocked their internal pH goes acidic killing the cancer cells.
Hi James,
I’ve been reading about this topic (mainly alkalizing through the injestion of Sodium Bicarbonate) and have seen studies such as “Implications of acidic tumor microenvironment for neoplastic growth and cancer treatment: a computer analysis.” which states – “The acidic microenvironment found in most solid tumors appears to be a main regulator for the self-organized development of neoplastic growth and invasion.”
or
“Tumor acidity, chemoresistance and proton pump inhibitors.” which states ” The extracellular pH of solid tumors is significantly more acidic than that of normal tissues, thus impairing the uptake of weakly basic chemotherapeutic drugs and reducing their effect on tumors. An important determinant of tumor acidity is the anaerobic metabolism that allows selection of cells able to survive in an hypoxic-anoxic environment with the generation of lactate. However, this is not the major mechanism responsible for the development of an acidic environment within solid tumors.”
They even conclude “These data suggest that tumor alkalinization may represent a key target of future antitumor strategies.”
Following from that “Manipulating tumor acidification as a cancer treatment strategy.” They state that oral administration of sodium bicarbonate can raise the extracellular pH of tumors”
and
“dietry measures that boost the bicarbonate level of plasma can elevate the subnormal pH of tumors to some degree, without noticeably influencing the pH of blood and health tissue”
and
“These findings thus raise the possibility that systematic buffering, acheived by oral administration of high doses of agents such as sodium bicarbonate or trisodium citrate – or possibly even a natural diet of low to moderate levels of protein content, but high in potassium rich fruits, vegetables, and juices – could dampen the aggressiveness of certain cancers by partially alleviating their extracellular acidity.”
Would this not count as evidence that an alkaline diet (be it in the food or through the use of sodium bicarbonate) can combat some cancers?
Thanks
Matt
Hi Matt,
In short, no.
This was brought up by someone else previously who did not understand what the studies he was posting was referring to. So I have addressed this before, but will do it again since sometimes re-explaining something in a different way can sometimes make things clearer.
Let’s start with the pH of cancer cells. Cancer cells actually have an internal pH more alkaline than healthy cells. It is this excess alkalinity that allows the cancer cells to survive and thrive. In addition, studies have also shown that when healthy cells become overly alkaline these healthy cells will morph in to cancer cells.
So what is all this about the acidity? What they are referring to is the acidity of the extracellular matrix, which is the space outside of the cells, not inside the cells. The reason the external matrix becomes acidic is because the cancer cells cannot tolerate an acidic internal environment. In fact, one therapy being studied is to block the proton pumps of cancer cells. This causes the internal pH of the cancer cells to become acidic, which kills the cancer cells. To protect themselves from the acidity the cancer cells export the acidic hydrogen ions (protons) in to the external matrix. This maintains the alkaline internal pH the cancer cells need to survive and flourish while making the external matrix acidic, which can promote metastases through the activation of the enzyme hyaluronidase. Some people have incorrectly assumed that this also means the acidity promotes cancer growth. Growth and metastases though are not the same thing. Intracellular alkalinity promotes cancer growth while extracellular acidity promotes cancer metastases.
Does this mean trying to alkalize with baking soda to inhibit metastases is a good idea? Not at all for several reasons.
First of all, what is the byproduct of the neutralization of acids by baking soda? Carbonic acid!!! Same reason when giving sodium bicarbonate intravenously in a hospital setting can case acidosis.
A second issue is that in order to have any alkalizing effect on the blood you would first have to overwhelm various pH buffering systems of the body. This includes the stomach acid. Neutralizing stomach acid presents all sorts of problems, but even more so with cancer patients. For instance, stomach acid is a first line defense against ingested pathogens. Therefore, neutralizing the stomach acid will leave these already immunocompromised people at even higher risk of pathogenic infection. Neutralizing the stomach acid will also interfere with nutrient absorption in cancer patients that may already be subject to cachexia. The nutritional deficiencies also increase the risk of cancer itself due to decreased methylation.
This is not to say that other alkalizers such as the sodium citrate would not be a good idea. Personally I like nettle leaf in cancer formulas for a variety of reasons including its ability to reduce acids while supplying a lot of nutrition and for its ability to help interfere with the Cori cycle. These will not adversely affect nutrition uptake of cause rebound acidosis though like sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) will.
As for the alkaline chemo drug statement, I really don’t think it will make any significant difference. Chemotherapy drugs are well known in the medical field to be rarely effective. Research has consistently shown that the very low success rate of most chemotherapy drugs has nothing to do with pH, but rather from the hypoxic microenvironments within the tumors.
Most chemotherapy drugs work on the principle of creating oxygen radicals that kill the cancer cells. Same reason doctors don’t like patients taking antioxidants while on chemo. Taking antioxidants while on chemo will not interfere and is beneficial, but that is a different story. Anyway, in order to create sufficient levels of these oxygen radicals there must be the presence of sufficient oxygen. During the initial process of tumor formation though the tumor is reliant on diffusion to get oxygen. Once the tumor reaches a maximum size of 3mm the oxygen can no longer diffuse in to the center of the tumor and the center of the tumor dies from a lack of oxygen. This stimulates the release of angiogenic growth factors (AGFs) such as vascular endothelial growth factor. The AGFs stimulate the formation of blood vessels that increase oxygen levels to the tumor that the tumor needs to survive and proliferate. Studies have shown that once the oxygen level is increased to the tumor that the growth rate of the tumor increases significantly. The cancer cells are anaerobic thing is just another long held myth. Cancer cells derive at least 50% of their energy through oxidative phosphorylation, and studies have shown that cancer cells have a higher affinity for oxygen than healthy cells. Despite their need for oxygen the malignant tumors still develop a very disorganized vascular network. This disorder creates hypoxic (low oxygen) levels within the tumor. These hypoxic regions will be slightly more acidic, but again this really does not change the effects of the chemo drugs. The chemo drugs will still fail due to the lack of oxygen in the hypoxic region that therefore interfere with oxygen radical formation.
If anything, alkalizing the tumor microenvironments will make matters even worse since oxygen release from hemoglobin is acid dependent and is inhibited by alkalinity. This could contribute to the tumor hypoxia allowing more of the cells in the hypoxic regions to survive.
Also keep in mind that sodium, which can be provided by sodium bicarbonate, displaces potassium, which is even more alkaline than the sodium displacing it.
Hi James,
I see this blog is seeing an amazing amount of activity!
I was wondering how you would raise the pH of your tissue fluid or intertstitial fluid to inturn affect the extracellular pH of a tumor cell?
You mentioned the byproduct of the neutralization of acids by baking soda is Carbonic acid and that the reason Chemo doesnt really work is the hypoxic microenvironments within the tumors. Wouldn’t Carbonic Acid then be a good thing if this increases the oxygen to the cells from hemoglobin?
Thanks
Matt
Hi Matt,
Not necessarily. Keep in mind the fact that the more oxygen cancerous tumors receive the faster they also grow.
For example, we all know that cancer cells have a higher metabolism than healthy cells. How can they have a higher metabolism if they are not using oxygen more efficiently since anaerobic glycolysis is significantly less efficient in ATP production?
Also keep in mind that ingesting sodium bicarbonate does not guarantee that any of it will reach the tumor. It is first going to react with stomach acid meaning most if not all is going to be destroyed depending on how much is ingested compared to how much stomach acid is present. And if you do manage to overwhelm the stomach acid with enough baking soda this is just gong to lead to whole host of other health issues.
And the problem is not really with pH but rather the poor vascular organization of the tumors that leads to the hypoxic regions. Therefore, altering the extracellular pH is not going to change the lack of effectiveness of most chemo drugs.
Maybe if they combined hyperbaric with chemo may help since this should theoretically increase oxygen levels within the tumor even in the poorly vascularized areas. If they can kill the cancer cells faster than they can vascualrize as which happens in ozone therapy then maybe they can achieve higher success rates with chemo.
Or they can start using ozone therapy, which has been proven effective at selectively killing cancer cells and for which cancer cells cannot develop a tolerance as with chemo or radiation therapies. See:
http://www.medcapsules.com/info/The%20Chemistry%20of%20Ozone%20Therapy%20on%20Cancer.htm
Are you the James Sloan I have seen in youtube videos with Markus Rothkranz?
Yes.
Those videos are very informative. If the bicarbonate was to be completely destroyed by the acid in the stomach, why is it that 1/2 tea spoon mixed with water raises my urine pH the following morning? It seems to be absorbing.
Hi Matt,
In order for any of the bicarbonate to reach the blood it would first have to overwhelm the stomach acid. How much baking soda it will take to overwhelm the stomach acid will depend on how much stomach acid is present to begin with. various things can affect stomach acid levels including age, H. pylori infection, antacids, acid blockers, alkaline waters, certain nutrient deficiencies, etc.
Urinary pH can also be affected by various things including high sodium intake, such as from the ingestion of baking soda, which reacts with stomac acid forming sodium chloride (“table salt), water and carbon dioxide. High sodium intake can displace potassium and calcium through the urine raising urinary pH. Therefore the rise in pH is not necessarily from the absorption of bicarbonate. It can be from the sodium chloride formed instead. Without testing for urinary bicarbonate it would be impossible to say what is alkalizing the urine.