False myths about the alkaline diet (part I)

False myths about the alkaline diet (part I)

False myths about the alkaline diet: The popularity of the alkaline diet and the lack of reliable information, has led to the appearance of a series of false myths. But … are they really true?

Much more than just a Trend.

Alkaline diet is more than a trend

In recent years alkalinity has become a popular topic among society. But in fact, it has been studied and researched since the last century by doctors, scientists and famous researchers such as:

Otto Heinrich Warburg, whose hypothesis linked acidity and a lack of oxygen with the development of certain diseases.

Alfred Pischinger, Austrian physician, histologist and embryologist, known as the father of histochemistry and the creator of the Basic System concept stated that the origin of all diseases is due to the saturation of toxic acid waste in the extracellular tissue, the environment that surrounds the cells:

“The disease starts around the cell. It is the cellular environment that will degrade the cell”

Alkalinity, a new health paradigm

The origin of the false myths about the alkaline diet

In recent years there has been much talking about “the alkaline diet” and the concept has been spreading very quickly but as there is not much scientific information available to back up the theory, it has generated all kinds of different versions and interpretations that distort the purpose and effectiveness of the alkaline diet.

This is the first article of a whole series that we will be posting to identify and refute the false myths about the alkaline diet.

MYTH NUMBER 1: The alkaline diet aims to alkalize the pH of the blood.

The alkaline diet does not intend in any case to vary the blood pH (one of the main myths about the alkaline diet). The pH of the blood has a stable value (between 7.3 and 7.4) and the body will do whatever it takes to maintain it, since a slight variation would cause serious health issues. The objective of the alkaline diet is to provide the body the necessary tools to help it maintain its own homeostasis and its natural pH in its optimal range with the least possible effort and without sacrificing any other bodily resources

This is the main reason why many people criticize the alkaline diet. So it´s important to understand well that the alkaline diet does not seek to modify the blood pH but to help it get rid of the excessive acid load and keep it oxigenated.

It is all about giving our body the necessary support so as it can eliminate and minimize the toxic load from an acid lifestyle and provide it the necessary tools to help it preserve its natural balance.

MYTH NUMBER 2: No need to alkalize the body, thus the body has its own internal mechanisms of balancing its natural delicate pH.

The alkaline diet does not intend in any case to vary the blood pH (one of the main myths about the alkaline diet). The pH of the blood has a stable value (between 7.3 and 7.4) and the body will do whatever it takes to maintain it, since a slight variation would cause serious health issues. The objective of the alkaline diet is to provide the body the necessary tools to help it maintain its own homeostasis and its natural pH in its optimal range with the least

It´s true that the human body has its own mechanism of internal regulation. As we have discussed in MYTH NUMBER 1, the blood has a natural pH that  oscillates between 7.3 and 7.4 and the body will always do whatever it takes to maintain it.

So when we talk about alkalizing the organism, what do we mean exactly? We are referring to interstitial fluid

When we talk about alkalizing or acidifying the body we are not talking about the blood pH, but about the interstitial pH, the plasma that surrounds the cells, which is the fluid in which our cells bathe and through which they obtain the necessary nutrients, electrolytes and oxygen and where cellular waste also goes.

This fluid can become more alkaline or more acidic depending on the food and water we eat and drink and other factors related to our lifestyle as for example our level of stress.

If we feed on junk food, for example, our cells will not only be malnourished, but will also generate a greater amount of acidic toxins than if we eat healthier. On the other hand, if our diet is based on organic alkaline green foods they will generate much less toxicity; and our inner terrain will remain clean and oxygenated.

MYTH NUMBER 3: Having acid urine is a good sign thus it indicates that the body is eliminating acids.

Our natural filters – liver, kidneys, lungs and skin – are the principal organs responsible for detoxifying and cleansing our body of toxic acids and although urine is one of the main ways of eliminating toxins from our body, that doesn’t mean that having an acid pH is a good symptom.

The crux of the matter lies in the amount of toxins and acid elements that we eat and drink and to which we are exposed to. Under normal conditions, the pH of the first urine in the morning should be slightly acidic as a result of the cleansing performed by our body during the night. However, during the day, our pH should rise and should be slightly alkaline (between 7 and 7.5), indicating that there isn´t excessive acidity and toxicity in the body.

MYTH NUMBER 4: The urine pH is the same as the blood pH.

The blood and urine pH values are independent one of another. As we have already mentioned, the kidneys and urine are responsible for eliminating metabolic waste from our own metabolism, diet and lifestyle. Therefore the pH of the urine will vary depending on our eating habits and lifestyle, and will give us information on how acidic or alkaline we are, and it can vary, ranging between 4 and 8.

In contrast, the pH of the blood is stable, and it has a slight variability between 7.3 and 7.4 (one of the main false myths about the alkaline diet states that it alkalizes the blood, and that´s not the case). So, generally speaking the blood pH does not reveal our state of alkalinity / acidity. Although it has to be mentioned that in extreme circumstances the pH of the blood can fall or rise, but that would be pathological.

Would you want to know more about false myths about the alkaline diet? If so, leave us a comment!

References:

  • WARBURG, O. H. (1956) “On The Origins of Cancer Cells Otto Warburg” in Science. New Series, Vol. 123, No. 3191, (Feb. 24, 1956), pp. 309-314
  • PISCHINGER, A (2007). The Extracellular Matrix and Ground Regulatrion. California: North Atlantics Books
Temas:
Alkaline and acid foodsAlkaline Diet

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