Water Education - Water and Health

Is Your Body's PH Levels an Indicator of Health? Page 2

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Proper inner environment is also depending largely on a proper pH value. The body is largely made up of water, a medium that is biologically useful in allowing nutrients, oxygen and bio-chemicals to be transported from place to place. This water-based medium can have either acid or alkaline properties that are measured by a graduated scale called pH (for potential hydrogen). Wherein 1.0 to 6.9 is considered acidic, 7.0 is neutral and 7.1 to 14.0 is considered alkaline.

What is the pH of some popular drinks and food?
Colas1.0Coffee5.0Cereal Corn2.5
Soft drinks artificially sweetened1.0Salt Refined1.5Meat2.5
Sugar1.0Wheat Refined1.5Fried Potato Chips3.0
Liquor1.0-2.0White Rice1.5Chicken & Fish3.0
      
The pH of fruits and vegetables
Melons7.0Pineapple6.5Avocados6.0
Asparagus6.5Fresh Fruit Juices6.5Citrus Fruits6.0
Most Vegetables5.0-6.0Potatoes with Skin5.5Almonds5.0

But the opinions vary on the matter of pH in the inner environment. Some experts, who acknowledge that a neutral or slightly alkaline pH is good, disagree on what this means with regard to body fluids. For example, some researchers consider a slightly acidic urine pH to be normal (healthy) because it might indicate that the body is eliminating acids that are a natural product of metabolism. Other experts maintain that the urine should be close to neutral or slightly more alkaline. Acid/alkaline balance is extremely important to normal physiology.

For example, the blood will maintain a slightly alkaline range of 7.35 to 7.45. Extended pH imbalances of any kind are not well tolerated by the body. The management of the pH factor is so important that the body's primary regulatory systems (especially breathing, circulation and eliminations) closely regulate acid-alkaline balance in every cell and system of the organism. Some researchers believe that high acidity can deplete bones because the body has to steal alkalizing minerals (especially calcium) from bones to keep the blood from dropping into the acid range.

Thus acid/alkaline balance may be relevant to diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Alkalinity can be increased by consuming less meat and sweets in place of eating more vegetables and fruits. Although eating fruit to increase alkalinity may seem to be a contradiction because some fruits (especially citrus) are acidic outside the body, digestion uses up their acidic components, leaving an alkaline residue (ash). Thus the net effect is an alkaline-producing benefit for the body.

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Read Next: Alkalinity of Drinking Water Explained

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