You may have seen ads for products like coral calcium or alkaline water that claim to neutralize acidity in your bloodstream. Calcium intake or drinking alkaline water does not affect or neutralize acidity in human body.
Many people are lead to believe acidic or alkaline foods may alter our body’s internal pH balance thus promoting healthier life. The fact is our body always strive to maintain pH balances in all its vital organs to provide an optimum environment for all cells to live.
Foods leaving the stomach are acidic, the moments they enter the intestines secretions from pancreas neutralize all the stomach acids.
Our body maintain a very narrow range of pH for optimum environment for all the complex chemical reactions for the health of all cells. A change in pH outside the optimum range either too acidic or alkaline will have disastrous results for our body cells general well being.
All complex chains reaction in our digestion begins with a chemical in our saliva called enzymes. For example for food digestion and vitamins and minerals to be absorption into our body, enzymes is needed to start the whole chain of reaction. Enzyme function at its optimum when the pH balances and temperature is right. If under any circumstance the optimum environment in our body is out of balance, enzymes would not function properly and under such circumstance side-effects of the failed chain reaction may arise.
Therefore it would be a misconception to believe drinking alkaline water or taking calcium supplements would help to maintain body’s pH balances.
What is pH
pH (potential of Hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution - the ratio between positively charged ions (acid-forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline-forming.). The pH of any solution is the measure of its hydrogen-ion concentration. pH is measure in a scale of between the range 0 to 14.
0 is the most acidic and moving towards 6.9, the acidity level reduces. pH 7.0 is neutral which means it is neither acid nor alkaline. pH 7.1 onward, its moving toward alkaline and 14 in the pH scale means it is most alkaline.
What is Human blood’s pH?
Human blood pH should be slightly alkaline (7.35 - 7.45). Below or above this range means symptoms, sickness or disease. If blood pH fell below 6.8 or above 7.8, most enzymes functions in our body would failed, leading to cells not able to function normally and the body dies. The body therefore would continuously strives to maintain a balance pH and temperature in our body. When this balance is compromised, many problems and even death can occur.
An imbalanced diet high in acidic-producing foods such as animal protein, sugar, caffeine, and processed foods puts pressure on the body's regulating systems to maintain pH neutrality. The extra regulating activities in our body can deplete the body of alkaline minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. A prolonged borrowing of alkaline minerals from vital organs and bones render the body to suffer from disease like osteoporosis, weak immune system, chronic and degenerative disease.
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