High Acidity - A Cause For Concern?

byKathryn Alexander

I'm often asked about acidity and what this means in terms of health. In short, it means that your cells are not using oxygen efficiently - in other words instead of oxidizing they ferment, and as with any ferments, acids accumulate as a by-product. This sets up a vicious cycle as an acidic cell repels oxygen and so perpetuates the problem. A fermentative environment is an unhealthy environment that supports cancer, fungal conditions such as systemic candida, and excites inflammation. It will also bring about calcium deposition in the arteries, joints and soft tissues.

The anomaly is that our natural metabolism produces vast amounts of acids - to be precise 10.4 mmols /minute which is 6,500 times the amount held in the body at pH 7.4. The pH (measure of acidity) has to be maintained within a very narrow range so we need to eliminate these acids as soon as they are produced. This is where breathing comes in. Breathing keeps in step with acid production - the more acid you produce (the faster the metabolism), the faster you breath. The acid is "blown off." If we stopped breathing for just 4 minutes then we would see a drop to pH 3.0 and we would die.

What goes wrong?
To understand acid production we have to look at energy production within the cell. If we follow the journey of glucose (a chief source of energy) we see that it is shuttled down a conveyor belt where each worker (enzyme) on the line modifies the glucose step by step to ultimately capture its energy. The waste product is carbonic acid which is split into carbon dioxide and water and easily eliminated. Problems occur when one or another worker goes on strike because he doesn't have the tools to do his job.
Our enzymes require minerals and vitamins (tools) in order to function (for example, the energy cycle enzymes require potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, B1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, CoQ10) and usually there is no problem as the food we eat comes with these very nutrients required for their metabolism. However, most of the foods consumed today are depleted of nutrients and come empty-handed.
It's a bit like ordering a construction kit. When it arrives you find that the basic materials may be present, but all the tools are missing. Without the tools you can't assemble the kit. In the body, we can go to the tool shed (bones) where we can draw on our reserves, but eventually these will also become depleted. So the workers (enzymes) become redundant and the cell accumulates partially metabolized by-products of glucose - all of which are acids.

These acids can't be broken down to carbon dioxide and water (and eliminated through the breath) but have to be neutralized or buffered within the cell until the kidneys remove them. However, this is a much slower process and over a period of time acids will accumulate. As you can imagine, the buffering system within the cells becomes taxed. Buffers are like patrol men which capture and bind free hydrogen ions. Free hydrogen ions (H) are the measure of acidity - this is what the "H" stands for in pH. When there are no more buffers the bones are called upon to grab the hydrogen ions.

In order for this to happen, they have to release calcium in exchange for hydrogen, and you guessed it - the bones become eroded while the soft tissues harden. So the effects of acidity are measured not so much by the overall pH of the body but by the general hardening and erosion within the system.

How do our dietary choices contribute to acidity?
High acidity arises when our nutrient intake (minerals and vitamins) fails to meet our requirements for energy production. This is when the enzymes go on strike. There are a variety of situations which exacerbate this:
A diet high in empty foods will draw upon our nutrient reserves for its metabolism.

Refined and processed foods where nutrients have been lost due to the refining process or damaged through processing. Refined cereals (white rice, white flour) and sugar are among the major culprits.

A high fat diet. Fats are refined and devoid of many of the nutrients found in the whole grain or seed. Fats are nutritionally expensive requiring many nutrients for their metabolism.

Diuretics such as caffeine and alcohol will "wash" away nutrients through the kidneys. Increased energy requirements mean increased nutrient requirements.

Stress and stimulants (caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, recreational drugs, sugar) all stimulate energy production without supplying the raw materials or nutrients. In short, they make the body eat itself and draw on its own nutrient reserve to accomplish this.

Fasting or skipping meals has a similar effect of inducing body breakdown and nutrient loss.

Exercise increases nutrient requirements especially for zinc, magnesium and the B vitamins. Heavy exercise regimes will deplete all nutrients unless supplied by the diet. Adolescents are the most vulnerable group as demands for zinc are high for physical and sexual maturation. Zinc deficiencies lead to mental, emotional and physical imbalances. Certain fuels, such as protein and fat, are regarded as dirty fuels. Carbohydrate is a clean combustion fuel leaving no acidity in the tissues but protein leaves sulphuric acid and fat generally contributes to generalized acidity when taken to excess.

There is a saying "Fat burns in the flame of carbohydrate" meaning that without some carbohydrate to stimulate the energy production line, fatty acids (from fat) will accumulate within the system. It takes up to seven days for the kidneys to remove this type of acidity, so on a high protein, high fat diet, we see a cumulative acidic effect over many years.

What can we do?
Make sure that your diet is unrefined, unprocessed, organic, and of high nutrient value.

Try not to take foods or drinks that will draw on your nutrient reserves.

Ensure that you have the broadest range of foods possible.

Vegetarians will need to guard against iron, zinc, vitamin D, A and B12 deficiencies.

To reduce acidity adopt a high alkaline diet (high in organic fruit and vegetables, low in fats and protein). These foods, when metabolized within the cell leave an alkaline ash. This relieves the burden on the cells' existing buffering system and will neutralize the accumulated acidity. Once this happens the electrical potential of the cell becomes more negative and oxygen (which is attracted to the negative) is drawn into the cell. Additionally, the high amount of potassium in the fruit and vegetables ousts sodium, toxins and excess water from the cell and the cell is purged of impurities.

Remove salt (sodium chloride) from the diet. Salt increases acidic conditions and competes with potassium. Supplementation with nutrients may be applicable for deficiency states and may work in the short-term. But the solution is not this easy as an acidic cell will not readily take up nutrients and therefore long-term improvement may be difficult to achieve. However, by following the alkaline diet we can reverse acidity, improve oxidation and enable vitamin and mineral access to the cell.

High Acidity - A Cause For Concern?byKathryn Alexander