Low-acid and high-alkaline diets refer to the pH of the foods you eat. Modern science has found that food and other products compatible with the normal pH of the human body help maximize its function. Thus a pH-balanced product means it has the same pH level as your body.
Definitions
The term "pH" or potential hydrogen encompasses the total of all the hydrogen bonding and releasing that takes place during all of your body's processes. A molecule that can release hydrogen ions in solution is a base or alkali, while a molecule capable of adding hydrogen bonds to create solutions is an acid. All matter has a pH value along the acid/base spectrum. Measurements span a scale of 1 to 14, with 7 being neutral, over 7.4 considered basic or alkaline and below 7.4 considered acidic.
Human pH
Your body's natural pH varies according to its job. For instance, your serum or blood pH ranges from 7.35 to 7.4, depending on its location in the body. Depending on what it mixes with, your saliva ranges from 6.0 to 7.4. In contrast, by the time your food gets to your stomach it enters a highly acidic environment of 2.0 to 3.0. The acid breaks down the food and readies it for digestion. Your urine stays at 6.0, making it very alkaline.
pH Balance
It makes sense to shampoo your hair with a product that balances both base and acid because your body strives to keep this balance at all times. Manufacturers seek to supply you with personal cleansers that match the pH of the part of the body on which you use it. Within your body, the balance of hydrogen ions contributes to homeostasis, the checks and balances within your body that keep it operating smoothly. Your kidneys are an important buffer in keeping this balance. They filter or retain hydrogen ions according to need.
The pH of Food
Evidence supports the idea that diseases like cancer, heart disease and rheumatoid diseases thrive in an acidic, inflammatory environment. In "Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life," David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D., suggests taking this knowledge and applying it to the food you eat. Using the pH of foods, you can make an attempt to eat about 60 percent from the alkaline or base list and 40 percent from the acidic list. If you imagine base and acid having a temperature, base would feel cool and acid would feel hot. Eating a diet high in alkali foods can rob disease of the inflammatory surroundings it needs to grow and spread.
References
- "Textbook of Medical Physiology"; Arthur C. Guyton, M.D. and John E. Hall, Ph.D; 1994
- "Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Living"; David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D.; 2009
- Biomedix: How You Rust: It's All About the Hydrogen
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