Acid and Alkaline foods

kmortis

Biomechanoid, Director of IDIOCY (Region 13)
kmortis
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
32,491
Location
New Texas (aka SOMD)
Anyone know about this theory? THat certain foods are acidic and some are alkaline. I haven't really delved into it as it sound a bit...um...fishy. I haven't been able to determine if one is "Better" than others; but a brief look at a list that a friend had, I eat mainly acidic foods.
 
Well yeah...different foods will have different PH factors.

So what?

Our digestive tract bathes it all in acid when foods reach the stomach. Then the body regulates the PH balance of the blood no matter what kind of nutrition enters the system.

I put some links in another thread, but I don't think anyone will mind if I put them here as well:

http://www.usyd.edu.au/su/anaes/lectures/acidbase_mjb/causes.html
http://www.chclibrary.org/micromed/00063580.html

PH is affected more if there is something going on with the respiratory system rather than the digestive system.
 
Eos of the Eons said:
PH is affected more if there is something going on with the respiratory system rather than the digestive system.
Click to expand...

See, this is what I thought, but the friend I was chatting with assured me that noooo...

WOuldn't the stomach acid pretty well take care of any pH you throw at it?

No, the alkaline foods nutralize some of it and yadda-yadda...<my head goes off in a fog of nonsense>

I'll take a look at the links. THanks.
 
The stomach is where it starts, but you also have to factor in the rest of the digestive tract:

chymotrypsin. Chymotrypsin cuts on the C-terminal side of tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan residues (the same bonds as pepsin, whose action ceases when the NaHCO3 raises the pH of the intestinal contents
Click to expand...
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/G/GITract.html

Your food's pH will be controlled by the various chemicals of the digestive tract. Your food does not affect the pH.
 
The pH of body fluids is kept within an extremely tight range by the homoeostatic mechanisms. If the pH of your blood is outside this range, you're very ill.

The respiratory tract has quite a lot of influence on pH by losing extra or retaining extra CO<SUB>2</SUB>. So if you're having difficulty breathing, weird things can happen. Oh, and if you want to make yourself faint, just breathe too deep and too fast for a bit. That will have a major effect on your blood pH, but your body has more sense than to let you keep doing it.

But mainly, the body simply keeps its pH where it wants it to be, no matter what you eat, by excreting urine of varying pH. Due to the way this works, you'll find that the urine of herbivores is generally alkaline, while the urine of carnivores is generally acidic. But the pH of the blood sails serenely on exactly where it ought to be.

So, you can indeed alter the pH of your urine by altering your diet. You do this by making your body excrete different things from previously in order to keep that good old blood pH exactly where it ought to be.

The rest is so much BS.

Rolfe.

PS. Any takers on how long before this thread is treated to a drive-by posting from Kumar?
 
Due to survival of the species, the good Lord determined we can't be a walking acid blob because otherwise someone could play a joke on us and spray us with baking soda/water solution and we's go up in fizz!:crazy:
 
Geeze, Phe...,er Iamme, we're trying to have a serious discussion here with input from people who took graduate courses in biology and all. why don't we go play on the politics board with the topic "Nice job, Brownie."?
 
kmortis said:
Anyone know about this theory? THat certain foods are acidic and some are alkaline. I haven't really delved into it as it sound a bit...um...fishy. I haven't been able to determine if one is "Better" than others; but a brief look at a list that a friend had, I eat mainly acidic foods.
Click to expand...

It's not the food itself that is either acid or alkaline, but what is left over when it has been digested and metabolized. Foods are either "acid residue" (result in the production of metabolic acids) or "alkaline residue" (alkaline metabolites). The kidneys handle the leftover excesses. Meat proteins result in a lot of excess sulfates, phosphates, etc., and are acid residue foods. Vegetables in general are alkaline residue.

In general, the kidneys handle the situation just fine and you don't have to worry about it. In special situations, though, like kidney failure or urinary tract infections, it can make a difference. No, one isn't "better" than the other.

BZ MD
 
This can be important consideration. Some people claim to cure many doseases just by food alterations. Digestive pHs can cause just opposite effect on internal pHs, but body control it & maintain it in very narrow range under normal conditions. I can think but can't say about total body pH imbalances & effects of persistent pH imbalances in various body parts. Sometimes it looks it can be basic & prime cause of all or most of diseases/conditions alike environment. Outer pHs as digestive pHs seems to have been less attended/looked.

Best wishes. :)
 
Harvard Health Caregivers study

There is a HUGE study that is following 200,000 Doctors and Nurses for their lifetimes. Annual questionnaires covering food, excercise, treatments, etc. It's the sudy that showed that taking aspirin prevents heart didease, HRT is not good for heart disease, and some more big facts. Surely, food balances would show... if there was anything to them. Wouldn't acid/alkyline be vegetarian vs carnivore diets? IIRC, studies don't show advantages to vegetarianism?

But then, I suspect that vegetartianism like drug use, homosexuality, pornography, alcohol, there will be very few studies done by unbiased researchers.

I think I'll google up "what we've learned from Harvard study"
 
Re: Harvard Health Caregivers study

casebro said:
IIRC, studies don't show advantages to vegetarianism?

But then, I suspect that vegetartianism like drug use, homosexuality, pornography, alcohol, there will be very few studies done by unbiased researchers.
Click to expand...

I know it's tricky to get all the proper nutrients sticking to a strict veggie diet. Obviously, vegans have it the toughest, as they eliminate all animal products. Something to do with necessary amounts of protiens. I'm an engineer, not a doctor, Jim.

Back to my OP. In another thread, I found what was bothering me about this. The ascertation that a certain pH'd food causes or cures cancer (or pick the disease). I want concrete proof, and not just "Memory" Trudeau's word that it's the case.
 
Kumar said:
This can be important consideration. Some people claim to cure many doseases just by food alterations. Digestive pHs can cause just opposite effect on internal pHs, but body control it & maintain it in very narrow range under normal conditions. I can think but can't say about total body pH imbalances & effects of persistent pH imbalances in various body parts. Sometimes it looks it can be basic & prime cause of all or most of diseases/conditions alike environment. Outer pHs as digestive pHs seems to have been less attended/looked.
Click to expand...

*scratches head*
 
Jeff Corey said:
Geeze, Phe...,er Iamme, we're trying to have a serious discussion here with input from people who took graduate courses in biology and all. why don't we go play on the politics board with the topic "Nice job, Brownie."?
Click to expand...

Gee....I'll have to go check that thread out. Thanx! :rub:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom