The alkaline diet is an eating plan that emphasizes focusing the bulk of your food choices on alkaline foods, or foods that proponents say can prevent your body's pH level from becoming too acidic. Alkaline diet adherents claim that consuming too many acid-forming foods can increase your risk of developing a variety of health problems, including cancer. Supporters contend that following an alkaline diet strictly can not only decrease your cancer risk, it can kill existing cancer cells. However, reputable medical institutions disagree -- they point out that there is no scientific evidence to back up the claim that an alkaline diet can prevent or treat any type of cancer.
Alkaline Diet
An alkaline diet is based on the theory that your weight, energy level and state of health is directly connected to the pH level of your blood, interstitial fluid, cells and tissues. A low pH level means that your body and fluids are acidic, or contain a high concentration of hydrogen ions, while a high pH level indicates a low concentration of hydrogen ions. Alkaline diet supporters say that eating certain foods increases your body's hydrogen concentration and creates an acidic environment that is toxic to your cells and prevents them from functioning optimally, increasing the risk of cancer and fostering cancer cell growth.
Use as a Cancer Treatment
According to the Brigham and Women's Hospital, the idea that an alkaline diet can help prevent or even kill cancer cells stems from laboratory studies indicating that cancer cells in an alkaline solution grew slower than cancer cells in an acidic solution and that cancer-killing medications appeared to be more effective on cancerous growths surrounded by fluid of a high pH level. However, the hospital cautions that these results have never been duplicated in studies involving people. Additionally, there is little evidence to indicate that eating alkaline foods can significantly change your body's pH. The hydrogen concentration in your body is tightly controlled by your kidneys, your respiration rate and compounds in your blood such as hemoglobin, regardless of your diet. Therefore, there is little factual evidence to indicate that an alkaline diet is effective at treating cancer.
Guidelines
Alkaline diet proponents contend that the best way to use the eating plan for treating or preventing cancer is to alter your overall diet to contain 75 to 80 percent alkaline foods and only 20 to 25 percent acid-forming foods. Recommended alkaline foods include all types of fresh vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens like broccoli and cabbage, seeds, nuts, whole unprocessed grains like spelt or buckwheat groats,; citrus fruits like lemons, limes, grapefruit and tomatoes, avocado, flax and olive oil, vegetable juice, herbal tea and soy milk. The acidic foods to avoid include all beef and poultry, all dairy products, all alcohol and caffeine, eggs, corn oil and all hydrogenated oils and saturated fats, all wheat products and fermented items like soy sauce or vinegar. An alkaline diet also encourages cutting all sugar, convenience foods and processed items out of your diets, eating raw food as often as possible, and drinking at least 2 quarts of fresh water daily. Speak to your doctor about the possible health risks before starting an alkaline diet, especially if you are attempting to use it as a treatment for a condition like cancer.
Expert Insight
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Dietetic Association, there is no scientific validity to the claim that an alkaline diet is effective as a cancer treatment or as a preventative measure. In fact, severely restricting whole categories of foods from your diet -- such as the supposedly acid-forming meat, beans and dairy products -- can result in nutritional deficiencies and decreased health. While health professionals agree with an alkaline diet's emphasis on fruits, vegetables, seeds and unprocessed foods, they contend that the best cancer-prevention diet includes whole grains; lean meat, poultry and fish; and a variety of beans.
References
- Brigham and Women's Hospital: Alkaline Diets and Cancer - Fact or Fiction?
- Every Diet: Acid Alkaline Diets
- nh1.ccone.com: Foods for Alkaline Diets
- Diets in Review.com: Acid Alkaline Diet
- American Institute for Cancer Research: Recommendations for Cancer Prevention
- American Institute for Cancer Research Blog: Another Cancer and Diet Claim - The Alkaline Diet
