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What part of the body are we trying to get to be more alkaline...?

03.03.2015 0 Jason Storm

We received the following question today:

What part of the body are we trying to get to be more alkaline...? its not the stomach, and the bloods ph shouldnt be altered...i read that diet can influence the urins ph only. which source can tell me how it would influence other parts of the body and which parts?

Great question! So here's the nutshell version and I'll provide some resources if you want to go deeper.. 

Yes, our blood is regulated to be in a very close range near 7.365 pH, other parts of the body have different requirements, ex: our small intestine is about 8.4 pH.

So your body uses "alkaline buffers" to balance your pH. Let's say you drink a can of soda, it has a pH around 3.5, about 5000 times more acidic then neutral.  When you drink it, it goes through your stomach and into your small intestines. This does many things including reduce the pH in your small intestines, kill friendly bacteria, leave acidic waste products.  

The majority of people in our culture are ingesting lots of acidic foods on a daily basis such as: meat, dairy, bread, sugar, fried foods, etc.


#1 - These acidic foods leave "acid waste" products for your body to clean up. These waste products are oxidizing (free radicals).

#2 - Your body uses up your Minerals to balance your pH (that's how the "pH buffers" work). These minerals could be used for other things and about 90% of North Americans are classified as mineral deficient. (Magnesium alone regulates over 300 biochemical reactions in the body )

Microvilli in small intestines

 

There are other factors as well like how the acidic foods coat your small intestines and clog up the microvilli, this blocks your body from absorbing nutrients. Also, the acidic foods create a perfect environment for unfriendly bacteria, mold, yeast and even cancer cells to live in. (It was scientifically proven in the 1940's by Dr. Otto Warburg that cancer can not live in an alkaline environment!)

" Warburg investigated the metabolism of tumours and the respiration of cells and discovered that cancer cells maintain and thrive in a lower pH, as low as 6.0, due to lactic acid production and elevated CO2. He firmly believed that there was a direct relationship between pH and oxygen. Higher pH, which is Alkaline, means higher concentration of oxygen molecules, while lower pH, which is acidic, means lower concentrations of oxygen...the same oxygen that is needed to maintain healthy cells. "

So, I hope that gives you some reasons to choose a more alkaline diet and to receive the benefits of alkaline water.  There might be one more question you have which is "doesn't the alkaline water mess up the acidic pH in your stomach?"  When your stomach is empty, no - the water flushes right through and there is no hydrochloric acid present. When your stomach is full, yes, that's why we're not supposed to drink much when eating our food, it dilutes the hydrochloric acid.. 


Resources:

Acidity, Oxidation

Acidic pH & Cancer

Magnesium

pH & blood sugar