Proponents of this diet suggest that replacing acidifying foods with alkaline foods can improve health.
They even claim that it can help fight serious diseases like cancer.
There are actually quite a few people who swear and affirm by this plan, wonderful results ...
But there is good evidence behind the alkaline diet? Let us take a look.
What is the Alkaline Diet?
The alkaline system is also known as ash-acid bases or alkaline diet.
It is based on the idea that the food you can eat, which is based influence the degree of acidity or alkalinity (pH) of the body.
Let me explain how it works ...
If metabolize food and extract energy ( calories [1] ) of them, they burn the food, with the exception that occurs in a slow and controlled manner.
When the meal, they actually leave an ash residue, such as when wood burns in a furnace burned.
As it stands, this ash can be acidic or alkaline (or neutral) ... and may influence the promoters of this plan, which requires these ashes directly to the acidity of the body.
So if you eat foods acidic ash, which makes your body acidic. If you eat foods alkaline ash, which makes your body alkaline. Neutral ash has no effect. Easy.
Ash acid is believed to be susceptible to disease, while the alkaline ash is considered protective. When choosing more alkaline foods, you should improve your diet and health in a position to "alkalizing".
Constituents of foods that leave an ash include acid protein [2] , phosphate and sulfur, and alkaline components are calcium, magnesium and potassium ( 1 , 2 ).
Some food groups are considered acidic, basic or neutral:
- Acid: meat, poultry, fish, dairy products [3] , eggs, cereals and alcohol.
- Neutral: natural fats, starches and sugars.
- Alkaline: fruits, nuts, legumes and vegetables.
Conclusion: According to proponents of the alkaline diet, the ashes left by burning food can directly affect the acidity or alkalinity of the body.
The pH in the body
If one of the alkaline food, it is important to understand the importance of the pH value.
In other words, the pH value [4] is a measure of the acidity or slightly alkaline.
The pH value of 0 to 14:
- 0-7 is acidic.
- 7 is neutral.
- 7 to 14 is alkaline (base it is often called base).
Many representatives of this system suggest that people in the pH of the urine using test strips, so that alkaline (pH above 7) and acid (less than 7).
... It is important to note that the pH varies considerably in the organization. The parts are, other acidic alkali. There is a level of play.
The stomach is loaded with hydrochloric acid [5] , which gives a pH between 2 and 3.5 (strong acid). This is necessary to break down the food.
On the other hand, the human blood is always slightly alkaline with a pH of 7.35 to 7.45.
The pH of the blood that is on the normal range very seriously [6] and can be fatal if left untreated. ... What happens, however, in certain disease states, and has absolutely nothing to do with the food you eat every day.
Conclusion: The pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity is something. Stomach acid is acidic, while blood is slightly alkaline with a pH of 7.35 to 7.45.
Food affects the pH of the urine, but not blood
If it were to fall outside the normal range, cells no longer function, and die very quickly without treatment.
Therefore, the body has many effective mechanisms to regulate the pH balance of the body closely. This is called acid-base balance [7] .
Luckily for us, that these mechanisms to outside influences that change the pH of the blood is almost impossible. If this is not the case, we would probably be in trouble.
The simple fact is ... the food can not change the pH of the blood. Period.
But in any case the food to change the pH of the urine, even if the effect is not reliable ( 3 , 4 ).
This is actually one of the main ways your body regulates blood pH by excreting acid urine ....
Eat a good steak and a few hours later your urine is more acidic than the body eliminates its system.
That is, the urine pH is actually a very poor indicator of overall pH of the body and overall health. Can be affected by many factors other than diet.
Therefore, even if you see the test strip and that become your urine alkaline, very little (if any) has relevance to the alkalinity of the blood, or health in general.
Conclusion: The body tightly regulates the pH value of the blood, and it is impossible, to the diet. However, the diet of the pH of the urine may change.
Acidifying foods can cause osteoporosis
Osteoporosis [8] It is a progressive disease characterized by reduced bone mineral density of the bone.
Osteoporosis is more common in postmenopausal women and may increase the risk of bone fractures significantly.
Many fans of the alkaline diet believe that the main constant pH of the blood increases, the body alkaline minerals (such as calcium from the bones) to the acid forming foods that you eat to buffer.
According to this theory, acidifying diets as standard Western diet [9] , lead to the loss of bone density. This theory is known as "acid ash hypothesis of osteoporosis."
The obvious problem with this theory is that the renal function is completely ignored. Our kidneys are essential to remove the acid and the pH of the body. It is one of the main functions.
The kidneys produce bicarbonate [10] ions, which neutralize the acids in the blood, a sustainable process that allows the body usually near the pH of the blood ( 5 ).
Our breathing system is also involved in controlling the pH of the blood. If the bicarbonate ions bind to the kidney acids in the blood, to form carbon dioxide (we exhale) and water (PEE).
The bones are not really involved in this process at all.
Another problem with acid ash hypothesis is that it is one of the main reasons for osteoporosis, the loss of protein ignored collagen [11] of the medulla ( 6 , 7 ).
Ironically, this loss of collagen fixed to the low level of orthophosphoric acid and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in the diet (tied 8 ).
Search research [12] , zero observational studies have shown a link between the acid in the diet, and bone density or fracture risk. In fact, there is no relationship between urinary pH and bone health ( 9 , 10 , 11 ).
Contrary to popular belief, diets are high in protein (acid-forming) in relation to bone health (done 12 , 13 , 14 ).
This research area is defined not by any means, but that animal protein suggests most of all acid-forming foods is beneficial for bone health.
Search clinical trials (real science), many critics have concluded that large acidifying diets not in the body (affect calcium levels 15 , 16 , 17 ).
Instead, improve the health of bones by increasing calcium retention and activation of IGF-1 [13] , a hormone that the repair of muscles and bones (stimulates 18 , 19 ).
This reinforces studies linking high protein (the acid form by chance) with acquired better bone health , not bad.
[14]
Conclusion: The research not on the idea that acidification diets are harmful support for bone health. Protein, an acid of the nutrients will be beneficial.
What heartburn and cancer?
The most extensive study of the relationship between "acidosis and cancer by diet-induced available 'conclusion that there is no direct connection ( 20 ).
Despite this evidence, many still believe that cancer arises in an acidic medium and can be treated or even cured with an alkaline diet.
But this idea is flawed for several reasons.
First and foremost, as mentioned above, the food is not on the blood pH ( 4 , 21 ).
Secondly, even assuming that the food could significantly alter the pH in the blood or other tissues, cancer cells are not limited acidic environments.
In fact, cancer develops in the normal tissues of the body, which has a slightly alkaline pH of 7.4. Numerous experiments have this success by the growth of cancer cells in an alkaline environment (confirmed 22 ).
And while tumors grow faster in acidic media, tumors actually create this acid itself. It is not [15] creates the acidic environment that cancer is a cancer that an acid (creates space 23 ).
Conclusion: The current research shows that there is absolutely no connection between diet and cancer acid formation. Cancer cells thrive in alkaline environments.
Can we learn something Ancestral Diet?
Search acid-base theory both a scientific and evolutionary perspective much.
One study estimates that 87% of the agricultural people ate alkaline diet ( 24 ).
This was the basis for many of the arguments behind the alkaline diet.
However, Weston A Price Masai studies [16] and Inuit was one of the first scientific evidence that a diet free of net acid had little or no impact on overall health.
These indigenous peoples diet largely intact despite the best of health in foodstuffs of animal origin.
A recent study estimates that half of the net pre-agricultural man eat alkaline-forming systems, while the other half form acids net plans (ate 25 ).
This seems realistic, since our ancestors lived in very different climates, with access to different foods. In fact, the most common form that people moved further north of the equator, away from the tropics (regulations acid 26 ).
Consequently, despite the fact that almost half of the hunter-gatherers were a diet form modern diseases of civilization eat net acid were virtually absent ( 27 ).
Message Home
Unlike many other strange diets, alkaline diet is pretty healthy.
Promotes a high intake of fruit [17] , vegetables and healthy plant-based foods, limiting processed [18] junk food.
However, statements about the mechanism behind the plan are supported by evidence of evolution, human physiology or no controlled studies in humans.
Acids are, in fact, are some of the key building blocks of life ... basic construction including amino acids, fatty acids and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).
The alkaline diet is healthy because it is based on unprocessed, real food. It has absolutely nothing to do with acidic or alkaline. Period.
REFERENCES
- ^ calories (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ protein (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ Dairy (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ pH (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ hydrochloric acid (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ very serious (labtestsonline.org)
- ^ acid-base balance (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ osteoporosis (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ Western diet (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ bicarbonate (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ collagen (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ Research (chriskresser.com)
- ^ IGF-1 (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ Better Bone Health (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ is not (chriskresser.com)
- ^ Masai studies (www.westonaprice.org)
- ^ fruits (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ Treaty (authoritynutrition.com)
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