Do you possess the power to change the pH levels in your blood? A diet rich in alkalines could aid weight loss and lower cancer risks – though perhaps not in the way you might imagine. Alkaline diets claim they will boost health, reduce weight, and fight cancer; but is that really true?
What is the alkaline diet?
The Benefits of Alkaline Diet stemmed from the concept that certain foods cause our bodies to produce acids, which may be damaging for overall health.
As it is believed that eating and drinking certain items will allow a person to modify their body’s acidity or pH levels, the pH scale measures how acidic or basic something is from zero-14 on a scale from zero-14. Alkaline substances tend to lie towards the lower end or higher than 7 on this scale.
Changes to body’s pH have long been believed to help promote overall wellness and aid weight loss.
What is the link between the alkaline diet and cancer?
Studies have illustrated the presence of cancer-causing cells in environments with low pH levels – an acidic environment. Alkaline diet advocates claim that by eating an alkaline diet rich in food items with a high acidity content while avoiding acidic beverages or products you will increase your pH levels and create the ideal environment for cancer to spread in your body.
Studies that suggest an acidic environment can aid the spread of cancer cells have only been conducted in vitro and don’t reflect how tumors behave within your body. Furthermore, nothing you eat will alter the pH balance in your blood – your body already controls this. Altering diet might change urine or saliva pH levels slightly; but no amount of alkaline food could ever have such an impactful result on blood pH levels.
What Can You Eat
An alkaline diet means eating food items with high pH values that fall into acceptable ranges for fats, proteins and carbohydrates. There’s no strict adherence or timeframe associated with alkaline eating – simply consume foods which will shift your pH balance towards higher alkaline levels.
Fruits
Some fruits may not be on the approved food list. You can still enjoy eating some of them – such as:
- Apples
- Apricots
- Black currants
- Lemon juice
- Oranges
- Peaches
- Pears
- Vegetables
Not all vegetables are on the approved list, however, you may eat:
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Green beans
- Beverages
Is the alkaline diet harmful?
Alkaline diets emphasize traditional, healthy eating practices. They include eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and water; restricting alcohol, sugar meat, processed food and meat; as well as restricting alcohol, sugar meat, processed food and meat intake to help you shed weight faster and may lower risk of cancer; however this does not seem to be why its proponents suggest. This diet could also help decrease inflammation; inflammation is the natural response to infection or injury but excessive chronic inflammation could damage DNA leading to cancer; thus eating foods which decrease inflammation may help lower risks of cancer – meaning eating foods which reduce inflammation may help decrease risks related to cancer risk.
We’ve seen alkaline water at the store. What is that and how does it impact your health?
While we can’t discuss specific brands of alkaline water, most are simply mineral waters in bottles which should pose no harm. Just like food, alkaline water may affect your urine or saliva pH but not blood levels.
What should someone considering starting the alkaline diet know?
If you are considering starting a diet, be sure to first consult with your physician. Modifying your food does not negatively impact the pH levels in your blood but could have positive implications for overall health and wellbeing. A plant-based diet includes fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains, beans/lentils/seeds/nuts while cutting back on meat, processed food and alcohol consumption.
Pros of Alkaline Diet
An alkaline diet relies on fresh produce. No need for meal planning or complicated cooking processes here – simply load up on fruits and veggies along with natural sugars like honey. While no research exists to support claims that alkaline diets aid weight loss or combat diseases, certain aspects may offer health advantages.
Maintain Muscle Mass with Alkaline Diet: Adopting an alkaline diet could be the key to keeping muscle mass intact as we get older. According to a three-year study involving 384 women and men age 65 or older, researchers discovered that eating foods high in potassium-rich items like the vegetables and fruits found in an alkaline diet could help them keep their muscle mass intact as they age.
Consumption of non-acidic food could aid in the prevention of diabetes. According to research published in Diabetologia, researchers tracked an average of 66,4885 females over 14 years; medical professionals diagnosed 1,372 new cases that hadn’t previously been detected. By analyzing women’s diets over this timeframe, researchers discovered those who favored acidic diets had an increased chance of becoming diabetic, suggesting an excess consumption of acidic foods might contribute to insulin resistance development.
