ALKALINE FOODS AND ALKALINE DIETS The term alkaline diet has been used to describe a diets based on the belief that certain foods can affect the acidity of bodily fluids, including urine and blood, and can therefore be used to treat or prevent diseases. Acidity is measured by the pH level of the bodily fluids. This diet advocates avoiding meat, poultry, cheese, and grains in order to make the urine more alkaline (higher pH), changing the environment of the urine to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections and kidney stones. According to the traditional theory underlying this diet, acid ash is produced by meat, poultry, cheese, fish, eggs, and grains. Alkaline ash is also produced by fruits and vegetables, except cranberries, prunes and plums. Since the acid or alkaline ash designation is based on the residue left on combustion rather than the acidity of the food itself, foods such as citrus fruits that are generally considered acidic are actually considered alkaline producing in this diet These claims are not supported by medical evidence and make assumptions about how alkaline diets function, contrary to current understandings of human physiology. Recent studies have been published which have considered the scientific evidence, and have found no significant suggestion to support the acid-ash hypothesis in regards to prevention of deseases. A meta-analysis of studies on the effect of dietary phosphate intake contradicted the expected results under the acid-ash hypothesis with respect to calcium in the urine and bone metabolism. Other meta-analyses which have investigated the effect of total dietary acid intake have also found no evidence that acid intake increases the risk for certain deseases as would be expected under the acid-ash hypothesis. A review looked at the effects of dairy product intake, which have been hypothesized to increase the acid load of the body through phosphate and protein components. This review found no significant evidence suggesting dairy product intake causes acidosis or increases risk for related deseases. It has also been speculated that this diet may have an effect on muscle wasting, growth hormone metabolism or back pain, but again there is no conclusive evidence to confirm these hypotheses. Taking calcium or drinking alkaline water does not affect blood acidity and the assumption that certain foods or supplements make your stomach or blood acidic is not based on a good understanding of nutrition and/or human physiology. It doesn’t matter whether foods are acidic or alkaline, because no foods change the acidity of anything in your body except that of your urine. Our stomach is so acidic that no food can change its acidity. Citrus fruits, vinegar, and vitamins such as ascorbic acid or folic acid do not change the acidity of our stomach or our blood. All foods that leave the stomach are acidic. Then they enter the intestines where secretions from the pancreas neutralise the stomach acids. Therefore no matter what you eat, the food in stomach is acidic and the food in the intestines is alkaline. Dietary modification cannot change the acidity of any part of your body except your urine. Blood and organs control acidity only in a limited way and anything that changes the acidity in your body would make you very sick and could even kill you. Those who supports claims (and sell the products) that cancer cells cannot live in an alkaline environment are not telling you that neither can any of the other cells in your body. All chemical reactions in your body are started by enzymes and all enzymes function in a very limited range of acidity expressed as "pH.". If your blood changes its acidity or alkalinity for any reason, it is quickly changed back to the normal pH or these enzymes would not function and the necessary chemical reactions would not proceed in your body. Because the alkaline diet tells you to exclude certain families of foods, it could result in a less-balanced diet with nutrient deficiencies such as essential fatty acids, as well as protein and calcium. In my opinion people who suffer from kidney disorders and severe diabetes mellitus should NOT attempt this diet as you can run the risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Alessandra Tumolo ttlctrl.co.uk
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 09:12:21 +0000
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