🧐 Have you ever heard someone say, “Eat alkaline foods to change your body pH and prevent disease”?
A 2019 review published in eFood didn’t support it and explained why your body tightly regulates pH and why diet can’t change it as drastically as some claim.
Let’s break it down. ⬇️
🔬 Blood pH is Tightly Regulated for a Reason!
Your body MUST maintain a strict blood pH of 7.35-7.45—a tiny range that ensures proteins fold correctly and function properly.
If blood pH fluctuates too much:
❌ Enzymes would stop working
❌ Essential metabolic reactions would fail
❌ Proteins could misfold, leading to serious health issues
👉 How does your body regulate pH?
✅ Lungs remove CO₂ (which affects acidity) through breathing.
✅ Kidneys excrete hydrogen ions (H⁺) and reabsorb bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) to maintain balance.
✅ These systems keep blood pH stable—no matter what you eat!
📢 If diet significantly changed blood pH, you’d be in a medical emergency, not a "balanced" state!
🔎 The 2019 review by Aoi et al. explains how buffering systems and proton transporters (like monocarboxylate transporters, MCTs) regulate pH in metabolic tissues—further proving that your body has built-in mechanisms to keep things in check.
🧪 Can Diet Affect Other pH Levels?
✅ Urine pH changes based on diet—but just your kidneys excreting excess acids or bases. Urine pH is NOT the same as blood pH!
✅ Tissue (Interstitial) pH can fluctuate locally (e.g., muscle acidity after exercise or in metabolic conditions), but this does NOT mean your entire body is becoming "acidic" or "alkaline."
⚠️ Real-Life Cases of Alkaline Diet Myths in Action
🔹 A patient recently visited a clinic asking to "check their blood pH" after seeing an influencer claim that "acidity causes all disease." (Spoiler: Their blood pH was perfectly normal.)
🔹 Health science students in a recent seminar were surprised to learn that the myth "cancer can’t survive in an alkaline body" is false—cancer cells create their own microenvironment, independent of diet.
🔹 A dietitian reported clients avoiding protein-rich foods due to fear of “acidity”—not realizing protein is essential for metabolism, muscle health, and enzyme function.
🚨 Why Does This Myth Persist?
✅ Marketing Hype – Alkaline water, pH supplements, and diet programs make money 💰.
✅ Celebrity Endorsements – Tom Brady, Gwyneth Paltrow, and others promote it (but science isn’t their expertise).
✅ Misinterpreted Science – While metabolic acidosis can be harmful, this doesn’t mean eating alkaline foods will "change your body’s pH" or cure disease.
🌱 What Actually Supports Metabolic Health?
🔬 Instead of worrying about “alkalizing” your body, focus on real, science-backed habits:
🥦 Eat a balanced diet (whole foods, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins)
💧 Stay hydrated (plain water—no need for overpriced alkaline water)
🏃 Exercise regularly (helps clear excess acids naturally)
🥩 Get enough protein (essential for enzymes, metabolism, and muscle repair)
🔎 The 2019 review (Aoi et al.) highlights how certain foods can support metabolic health and buffering capacity—but they do NOT “alkalize” your blood! Instead, foods like fruits and vegetables help reduce the acid load on the kidneys, which can benefit long-term health.
📢 BOTTOM LINE:
Your body is designed to regulate pH on its own. Blood pH must stay stable for proteins to function, and your lungs & kidneys do the work—no "alkaline diet" needed!
🔁 Share this to stop the spread of nutrition misinformation!
Aoi, W., et al., Body Fluid pH Balance in Metabolic Health and Possible Benefits of Dietary Alkaline Foods. eFood, 2020. 1(1): p. 12-23.
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