The alkaline diet
An alkaline diet has been very fashionable lately, and the media and some nutritionists are scaring us with "acidification" of the body. Meanwhile, this is mostly a misunderstanding.
The normal blood pH is in a very narrow range of 7.35-7.45. Anything below this norm is considered acidosis. At the top is alkalosis. We divide them into metabolic and respiratory. Acidosis or alkalosis are very dangerous and can lead to death, but in order for them to occur, there must be very serious violations of the internal organs and seriously damaged regulatory mechanisms.
Acidosis and alkalosis are dangerous
You will not get acidosis just like that after eating meat, dairy products, animal fats, sweets, flour, rice, potatoes, coffee or alcohol, that is, acid-forming foods.
However, the threats are as follows:
• diabetes mellitus,
• Severe malnutrition,
• overactive thyroid gland,
• shock,
• hypoxia,
• kidney damage,
• and some other unpleasant ailments.
Therefore, pH fluctuations outside the range of 7.35–7.45 are dangerous.
Calcium from bones and an alkaline diet
An acid-forming diet is not suitable for humans in the long run, but not because it affects the pH of the blood. Usually, such a diet lacks a balance of vegetables, fruits, and minerals that affect various functions of our body, not just acid and alkaline buffers.
There is an interesting theory that the body uses calcium from bones to neutralize acids. An alkaline diet can actually lead to a decrease in the acidity of urine (which is not always good for health, since the acidic reaction protects our urinary system from the development of pathogenic bacteria). We may even find that we secrete less calcium in the urine. However, studies do not show that this affects bone health. Some actually point out that a high-protein, low-carb diet can negatively affect bone calcium levels. We are simply talking about a diet that is poor in many of the ingredients necessary for proper calcium management (for example, vitamins D and K). In addition, many studies show that a varied, high-protein diet does not pose a threat to the bones of healthy people.
Acid protection systems
Fortunately, our body has different safety systems, also called buffer systems (carbonic acid / bicarbonate – extracellular, monobasic/dibasic phosphate – intracellular, protein – intracellular, hemoglobin – intracellular).
It sounds complicated, but we can see these mechanisms as we exhale. Then we use our mouth or nose to get rid of carbon dioxide by removing excess acids. The kidneys also purify our blood of acid.
So where did the idea come from that an alkaline diet could upset this balance? Eating large amounts of acidic food can, for example, change the pH of urine. It's just that this does not indicate the effectiveness of the diet, but regulatory mechanisms that remove unnecessary substances, maintaining a safe pH range of 7.35-7.45 in the blood. Starting your sports betting journey with a generous boost makes every wager more exciting from day one. When you register a new account on the platform, be sure to use 1xbet promo code in the designated field during the sign-up process to unlock an exclusive offer. This action activates a 100% welcome bonus up to $130 on your first deposit, effectively giving you a 30% boost over the standard $100 maximum. You can then explore over 30 different sports with thousands of daily events, from football and cricket to boxing and horse racing.
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