Imbalanced pH Levels and Their Impact on Health: Part 1
Acid-base homeostasis is crucial for normal functions of nearly all bodily systems, while disturbances can cause a broad spectrum of disorders.
This is the first article in a two-part series. Part two will look at dietary and lifestyle treatments for hyperacidity and an acidity test you can do at home.
In Germany and other European nations, literature about the subject is plentiful. In the United States, though somewhat more obscure, numerous studies in recent years indicate the importance of a balanced pH level in regard to sickness and health.
Why Do I Feel Off?
Perhaps you consider yourself healthy—conscious about what you eat, how you exercise your body, the type of relationships you keep, and nurture an overall well-balanced lifestyle. Perhaps sometimes though you feel off without a reason.
You might feel aches and pains that you cannot explain. Your joints feel stiffer than usual, you wake up with headaches that normally are not there, experience a little heartburn after eating certain foods, your muscles feel sore without physical activity, or your immune system seems off-guard.
All these symptoms could be caused by an imbalanced pH level.
Homeostasis–The Body’s Basic Requirement
Human metabolism has three major jobs:
1. Capture energy to ensure proper function of cellular processes
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2. Convert food into fundamental building blocks
3. Oversee removal of all waste products from the body
One key requirement for the metabolic system to perform these jobs well is acid-base homeostasis—meaning that the pH level in all extracellular fluids (those outside of the cells) stays between 7.35 and 7.45. This pH balance is critical to overall health.
pH-Balance Critical for Health
Our daily food consumption both produces and consumes acids (protons, hydrogen ions). However, the food choices we make determine the quantity of acid production (dietary acid load), which influences the body’s pH balance.
- Digestive system
- Respiratory system
- Eliminatory system
- Muscular/skeletal system
Source: S.A. Lanham-New, M. Alghamdi, and J. Jalal, in Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition (Third Edition), 2013, ISBN 978-0-12-384885-7, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/acid-base-homeostasis Published with permission from Elsevier
Ailments Caused by Acid-Imbalance
Disturbances in the acid-base balance can cause many health issues. A 2024 review (pdf) in Pflügers Archiv of the European Journal of Physiology relates a high dietary acid load in Westerners to the high intake of processed food and animal protein.
The researchers recommend an adjustment of people’s diets to lower their dietary acid loads, therefore preventing “a chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis,” which “is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.”
Even if we do not modify our nutrition accordingly, the body always tries to reach homeostasis based on its goal of self-preservation. Hence, toxins usually will not be stored in the heart, the brain, or the lungs. Fatty and connective tissue is the easiest disposal site.
Damage to Connective Tissue–A Disposal Site for Surplus Acids
Connective tissue has multiple jobs—one of which is to transport nutrients and waste. Blood and lymph, as well as cartilage and bone, are considered specialized connective tissue.
To save other organs from harm, the connective tissue is the first responder to high dietary acid loads and works tirelessly to reduce toxins in our organism.
Organ Damage
A large cross-sectional study published in the journal Risk Management and Healthcare Policy enrolled 18,855 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2018. Researchers concluded that there is a link between dietary acid loads and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Furthermore, high acid loads can lead to chronic metabolic acidosis, which in turn “has been documented to be closely involved in the development of a range of diseases, including CVD [cardiovascular disease], hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, bone-related disorders, and cancers,” stated the study.
The same academic journal featured an article published in 2019, in which researchers were able to show, for the first time, a connection between high dietary acid loads and asthma in overweight and obese children.
Cancer
A 2021 case-control study published in the journal Cancer Treatment and Research Communications observed the acid-base balance in relation to lung cancer development in men. 843 lung cancer patients were given a multi-topic questionnaire, including questions about their food intake. Findings were directly associated with dietary acid loads with heightened inflammation and an increased risk of lung cancer.
Cardio-Metabolic Diseases
Cardio-metabolic diseases, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and Type-2 diabetes are on the long list of negative health effects caused by high acidity in the body.
Diabetes and Hypertension
A 2022 study published in the journal Current Aging Science examined the relationship between metabolic acidosis and the development of insulin resistance, hypertension, and other cardiometabolic disorders.
The study included 114 elderly participants. Scientist analyzed their potential renal acid load (PRAL) and their “net endogenous acid production” over three days, including a breakdown of their 24-hour dietary records.
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