Alkaline Diet (pH of Foods) ( Page 3 )
#1 - BONE HEALTH IN THE ELDERLY
Technical Abstract: Maintaining muscle mass in aging is important to prevent falls and fractures. Dietary protein is required to preserve muscle mass, however the acid load from diets rich in acidogenic protein foods and cereal grains relative to alkalinogenic fruits and vegetables may contribute to loss of lean tissue mass in older adults. This analysis was conducted to determine whether for a given protein intake, a more alkaline diet has a more favorable effect on lean body mass (LBM). Subjects were 384 men and women age 65+ who participated in a 3-yr calcium and vitamin D versus placebo trial. All subjects gave written informed consent. Urinary nitrogen (N), an indicator of protein intake, and potassium (K) were measured at baseline in 24-hr collections. N was measured by the Dumas combustion method and K by direct-current emission spectroscopy. The N:K ratio, reflecting the ratio of acidic protein foods to alkaline fruit/vegetable intake, was calculated. LBM, defined as total body non-fat, non-bone tissue mass, was measured by DXA at baseline and 3 years. Physical activity, measured by Physical Activity Score for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire, height, and weight were assessed at baseline and 3 years. At baseline, the mean N:K was 5.98 + 1.70 (SD) mmol/mmol. The N:K was inversely associated with baseline LBM (regression coefficient = -0.245, P = 0.011, adjusted for sex, age, weight, physical activity score, and nitrogen excretion) and with 3-yr change in LBM (regression coefficient "0.105, P = 0.046, adjusted in addition for treatment group and baseline LBM). These results suggest that the effect of protein on muscle may be enhanced when the overall diet is less acidic, that is, higher in fruit and vegetable content.
#2 - Counteracting Acidic Diet Reduces Markers of Bone Loss in Older Adults
Alkaline compounds, whether from supplements or a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, may counteract bone loss in healthy older adults, researchers said. Increasing alkaline content of the diet with bicarbonate supplementation significantly reduced levels of the bone turnover markers urinary N-telopeptide and calcium excretion (both P=0.001), Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., of Tufts University here, and colleagues found in a randomized controlled trial. Because fruits and vegetables are metabolized to bicarbonate, a dietary approach may have a similar effect, they wrote in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Increasing intake of alkali merits further consideration as a safe and low-cost approach to improving skeletal health in older men and women. However, supplements may be an easier solution, because Achieving alkali-producing diets would require drastic changes in food choices and be challenging in older people who tend to have long-established dietary patterns. The typical American diet produces a pH imbalance in the body as protein and cereal grains metabolize to acidic compounds. Aging reduces the body's ability to get rid of these acids because of declining renal function and capacity to excrete hydrogen ions. One way the body may counteract acidity is by breaking down bone to release minerals such as calcium, phosphates, and alkaline salts into the blood. An acidic environment also impairs bone health by decreasing osteoblastic activity while increasing osteoclastic action. Although calcium and vitamin D have received the most attention for building bone health, increasing evidence suggests the acid/base balance of the diet is also important. The researchers did a double-blind, controlled trial included 171 healthy men and women 50 and older who were randomized to receive placebo or supplementation with 67.5 mmol a day of potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or potassium chloride. All groups received a supplement of 600 mg pH neutral calcium, 125 IU of vitamin D3, and 50 mg of magnesium oxide (Posture D) and a multivitamin containing 400 IU of vitamin D3 daily to reduce variation in these intakes and their potential effects on outcomes. After three months of treatment, the reduction in net acid excretion to creatinine ratio -- a correction factor for completeness of urine collection -- was significantly greater in the combined bicarbonate groups compared with the combined non-bicarbonate groups (change -35.2 versus 3.6 mEq/g, P(0.001). Urinary N-telopeptide declined 13.4% in proportion to creatinine in both bicarbonate groups, whereas no decrease was seen in the non-bicarbonate groups (change -5.38 versus 18.34 mg/g, P=(0.001). Reducing the rate of bone resorption in older adults to levels observed in healthy young adults is desirable because lower turnover rates have been associated with reduced rates of bone loss and lower fracture rates. Net acid excretion was linked to change in the bone resorption biomarker and calcium excretion in a significant linear relationship, confirming that it is the reduction in acid load that was the active component of the treatment. (In other words, reducing levels of acid and raising body pH improved the health of the bones) The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. The researchers reported no conflicts of interest.
#3 - Plant based dietary supplement increases urinary pH
Research has demonstrated that the net acid load of the typical Western diet has the potential to influence many aspects of human health, including osteoporosis risk/progression; obesity; cardiovascular disease risk/progression; and overall well-being. As urinary pH provides a reliable surrogate measure for dietary acid load, this study examined whether a plant-based dietary supplement, one marketed to increase alkalinity, impacts urinary pH as advertised.Methods Using pH test strips, the urinary pH of 34 healthy men and women (33.9 +/- 1.57 y, 79.3 +/- 3.1 kg) was measured for seven days to establish a baseline urinary pH without supplementation. After this initial baseline period, urinary pH was measured for an additional 14 days while participants ingested the plant-based nutritional supplement. At the end of the investigation, pH values at baseline and during the treatment period were compared to determine the efficacy of the supplement.Results Mean urinary pH statistically increased (p = 0.03) with the plant-based dietary supplement. Mean urinary pH was 6.07 +/- 0.04 during the baseline period and increased to 6.21 +/- 0.03 during the first week of treatment and to 6.27 +/- 0.06 during the second week of treatment.Conclusion Supplementation with a plant-based dietary product for at least seven days increases urinary pH, potentially increasing the alkalinity of the body.
#4 - Fruit and vegetable consumption and bone mineral density: the Northern Ireland Young Hearts Project.
BACKGROUND: Studies examining the relation between bone mineral density (BMD) and fruit and vegetable consumption during adolescence are rare. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine whether usual fruit and vegetable intakes reported by adolescents have any influence on BMD. DESIGN: BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the nondominant forearm and dominant heel in a random sample of 12-y-old boys (n = 324), 12-y-old girls (n = 378), 15-y-old boys (n = 274), and 15-y-old girls (n = 369). Usual fruit and vegetable consumption was assessed by an interviewer-administered diet history method. Relations between BMD and fruit and vegetable intake were assessed by using regression modeling. RESULTS: Using multiple linear regression to adjust for the potential confounding influence of physical and lifestyle factors, we observed that 12-y-old girls consuming high amounts of fruit had significantly higher heel BMD (beta = 0.037; 95% CI: 0.017, 0.056) than did the moderate fruit consumers. No other associations were observed. CONCLUSION: High intakes of fruit may be important for bone health in girls. It is possible that fruit's alkaline-forming properties mediate the body's acid-base balance. However, intervention studies are required to confirm the findings of this observational study.
#5 - DIET AND URINARY PH: A PRELIMINARY STUDY AND BRIEF DISCUSSION OF RELEVANCE TO INFECTIOUS DISEASE
BACKGROUND: Acid-alkaline balance is emphasized in many complementary and alternative health systems. In particular, Edgar Cayce, an influential figure in the development of holistic philosophy, espoused an alkaline-producing diet in the prevention and treatment of a wide range of conditions, including infectious disease. Measurement of urine pH was specifically encouraged as a practical means of monitoring acid-alkaline balance. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether eating a diet with relatively high levels of akaline-producing foods affects urine pH. METHODS: Sixteen individuals provided 472 urine samples during a health conference while following a diet recommended by Edgar Cayce. The samples were tested for pH. RESULTS: As the conference proceeded, there was a notable trend for the group as a whole to produce higher levels of alkaline urine with regard to total number of samples that reached neutral (7.0) or above (alkalinity). Also, the percentage of individuals whose urine reached 7.0 or above increased during the conference. Implications for the prevention and treatment of viral infection that require an acidic environment for fusion with host cells are discussed. Eating a predominately alkaline-producing diet may help to decrease the incidence of certain viral infections and increase the effectiveness of medications for such infections.
#6 - Plant based dietary supplement increases urinary pH
Research has demonstrated that the net acid load of the typical Western diet has the potential to influence many aspects of human health, including osteoporosis risk/progression; obesity; cardiovascular disease risk/progression; and overall well-being. As urinary pH provides a reliable surrogate measure for dietary acid load, this study examined whether a plant-based dietary supplement, one marketed to increase alkalinity, impacts urinary pH as advertised.Methods Using pH test strips, the urinary pH of 34 healthy men and women (33.9 +/- 1.57 y, 79.3 +/- 3.1 kg) was measured for seven days to establish a baseline urinary pH without supplementation. After this initial baseline period, urinary pH was measured for an additional 14 days while participants ingested the plant-based nutritional supplement. At the end of the investigation, pH values at baseline and during the treatment period were compared to determine the efficacy of the supplement.Results Mean urinary pH statistically increased (p = 0.03) with the plant-based dietary supplement. Mean urinary pH was 6.07 +/- 0.04 during the baseline period and increased to 6.21 +/- 0.03 during the first week of treatment and to 6.27 +/- 0.06 during the second week of treatment.Conclusion Supplementation with a plant-based dietary product for at least seven days increases urinary pH, potentially increasing the alkalinity of the body.
#7 - Alkaline Mineral Supplementation Decreases Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Pilot Study
The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the efficacy of an alkaline mineral supplement as a means of suppressing disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and to check whether any change occurs in the circulating beta-endorphin concentration. Thirty-seven patients with moderately active RA of at least two years duration, who were receiving stable pharmacological treatment, participated in a 12-week study. All patients were randomly allocated to a supplemented group (30g of an alkaline mineral supplement daily) or to an unsupplemented group. Their usual diet and medication was maintained. Disease activity, pain, and health-associated status were recorded (DAS 28 - Disease Activity Score 28, VAS - visual analogue scale for pain, HAQ - Health Assessment Questionnaire). Plasma immunoreactive endorphin (ir-EP) was measured in the study groups and also in healthy subjects. DAS 28 and VAS decreased in the supplemented group, whereas there was no change in these parameters during the trial in the control group. The functions (HAQ) of the supplemented patients improved. The ir-EP levels increased in both groups but to a higher degree in the supplemented group. During the trial, medication (NSAIDs and steroids) could be reduced in the supplemented group only. Conclusion: This study suggests that an alkaline supplement may improve function and pain in rheumatoid arthritis and may represent an easy and safe addition to the usual treatment of RA patients.
#8 - Bicarbonate Increases Tumor pH and Inhibits Spontaneous Metastases
The external pH of solid tumors is acidic as a consequence of increased metabolism of glucose and poor perfusion. Acid pH has been shown to stimulate tumor cell invasion and metastasis in vitro and in cells before tail vein injection in vivo. The present study investigates whether inhibition of this tumor acidity will reduce the incidence of in vivo metastases. Here, we show that oral NaHCO3 selectively increased the pH of tumors and reduced the formation of spontaneous metastases in mouse models of metastatic breast cancer. This treatment regimen was shown to significantly increase the extracellular pH, but not the intracellular pH, of tumors by 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the export of acid from growing tumors by fluorescence microscopy of tumors grown in window chambers. NaHCO3 therapy also reduced the rate of lymph node involvement, yet did not affect the levels of circulating tumor cells, suggesting that reduced organ metastases were not due to increased intravasation. In contrast, NaHCO3 therapy significantly reduced the formation of hepatic metastases following intrasplenic injection, suggesting that it did inhibit extravasation and colonization. In tail vein injections of alternative cancer models, bicarbonate had mixed results, inhibiting the formation of metastases from PC3M prostate cancer cells, but not those of B16 melanoma. Although the mechanism of this therapy is not known with certainty, low pH was shown to increase the release of active cathepsin B, an important matrix remodeling protease. [Cancer Res 2009;69(6):2260–8]
#9 - Acid-Mediated Tumor Invasion: a Multidisciplinary Study
The acid-mediated tumor invasion hypothesis proposes altered glucose metabolism and increased glucose uptake, observed in the vast majority of clinical cancers by fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography, are critical for development of the invasive phenotype. In this model, increased acid production due to altered glucose metabolism serves as a key intermediate by producing H+ flow along concentration gradients into adjacent normal tissue. This chronic exposure of peritumoral normal tissue to an acidic microenvironment produces toxicity by: (a) normal cell death caused by the collapse of the transmembrane H+ gradient inducing necrosis or apoptosis and (b) extracellular matrix degradation through the release of cathepsin B and other proteolytic enzymes. Tumor cells evolve resistance to acid-induced toxicity during carcinogenesis, allowing them to survive and proliferate in low pH microenvironments. This permits them to invade the damaged adjacent normal tissue despite the acid gradients. Here, we describe theoretical and empirical evidence for acid-mediated invasion. In silico simulations using mathematical models provide testable predictions concerning the morphology and cellular and extracellular dynamics at the tumor-host interface. In vivo experiments confirm the presence of peritumoral acid gradients as well as cellular toxicity and extracellular matrix degradation in the normal tissue exposed to the acidic microenvironment. The acid-mediated tumor invasion model provides a simple mechanism linking altered glucose metabolism with the ability of tumor cells to form invasive cancers. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(10): 5216-23)
#10 - Treatment with Potassium Bicarbonate Lowers Calcium Excretion and Bone Resorption in Older Men and Women
Context: Bicarbonate has been implicated in bone health in older subjects on acid-producing diets in short-term studies. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of potassium bicarbonate and its components on changes in bone resorption and calcium excretion over 3 months in older men and women. Design, Participants, and Intervention: In this double-blind, controlled trial, 171 men and women age 50 and older were randomized to receive placebo or 67.5 mmol/d of potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or potassium chloride for 3 months. All subjects received calcium (600 mg of calcium as triphosphate) and 525 IU of vitamin D3 daily. Main Outcome Measures: Twenty-four-hour urinary N-telopeptide and calcium were measured at entry and after 3 months. Changes in these measures were compared across treatment groups in the 162 participants included in the analyses. Results: Bicarbonate affected the study outcomes, whereas potassium did not; the two bicarbonate groups and the two no bicarbonate groups were therefore combined. Subjects taking bicarbonate had significant reductions in urinary N-telopeptide and calcium excretion, when compared with subjects taking no bicarbonate (both before and after adjustment for baseline laboratory value, sex, and changes in urinary sodium and potassium; P = 0.001 for both, adjusted). Potassium supplementation did not significantly affect N-telopeptide or calcium excretion. Conclusions: Bicarbonate, but not potassium, had a favorable effect on bone resorption and calcium excretion. This suggests that increasing the alkali content of the diet may attenuate bone loss in healthy older adults.
#11 - Minerals and Disease
Joseph Campbell highlights that the alkaline minerals, such as, magnesium and calcium, are critical to the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). He also says that “Excessive consumption of acid producing foods, results in metabolic acidosis. When this occurs, the parathyroid hormone stimulates the removal of calcium from the bones and teeth (osteolysis), to buffer or neutralize the excess acidity. After many years, such calcium loss results in depleted bone, bone weakness and structure.”
#12 - Alkaline Mineral Supplementation Decreases Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Pilot Study
Abstract: The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the efficacy of an alkaline mineral supplement as a means of suppressing disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and to check whether any change occurs in the circulating beta-endorphin concentration. Thirty-seven patients with moderately active RA of at least two years duration, who were receiving stable pharmacological treatment, participated in a 12-week study. All patients were randomly allocated to a supplemented group (30g of an alkaline mineral supplement daily) or to an unsupplemented group. Their usual diet and medication was maintained. Disease activity, pain, and health-associated status were recorded (DAS 28 - Disease Activity Score 28, VAS - visual analogue scale for pain, HAQ - Health Assessment Questionnaire). Plasma immunoreactive endorphin (ir-EP) was measured in the study groups and also in healthy subjects. DAS 28 and VAS decreased in the supplemented group, whereas there was no change in these parameters during the trial in the control group. The functions (HAQ) of the supplemented patients improved. The ir-EP levels increased in both groups but to a higher degree in the supplemented group. During the trial, medication (NSAIDs and steroids) could be reduced in the supplemented group only. Conclusion: This study suggests that an alkaline supplement may improve function and pain in rheumatoid arthritis and may represent an easy and safe addition to the usual treatment of RA patients.