pH Balance and Food
It appears that the pH of food does not directly correlate to the pH of our body. The pH of our food may correspond to the pH of our urine--but this only indicates the body's methods of excreting excessive acidity is through the renal system.
"Food Affects the pH of Your Urine, But Not Your Blood. It is critical for health that the pH of your blood remains constant. If it were to fall outside of the normal range, your cells would stop working and you would die very quickly if left untreated. For this reason, the body has many effective mechanisms to closely regulate the pH balance in your body. This is known as Acid-Base Homeostasis. Fortunately for us, these mechanisms make it near impossible for outside influences to change the pH value of the blood. If that wasn't true, we would surely be in trouble. The fact is... food simply can not change your blood pH. Period." (1)
The lungs and the kidneys are responsible for regulating the pH of the body. The lungs excrete carbon dioxide, which helps regulate acidity, and the kidney excrete acids through our urine.
"The glaring problem with this theory, is that the function of the kidneys is completely ignored. Our kidneys are fundamental to removing acids and regulating body pH. It's one of their main roles. The kidneys produce bicarbonate ions that neutralize acids in the blood, a sustainable process which enables the body to tightly regulate blood pH (5).Our respiratory system is also involved in controlling blood pH. When bicarbonate ions from the kidneys bind to acids in the blood, they form carbon dioxide (which we breathe out) and water (which we pee out)." (1)
"The glaring problem with this theory, is that the function of the kidneys is completely ignored. Our kidneys are fundamental to removing acids and regulating body pH. It's one of their main roles. The kidneys produce bicarbonate ions that neutralize acids in the blood, a sustainable process which enables the body to tightly regulate blood pH (5).Our respiratory system is also involved in controlling blood pH. When bicarbonate ions from the kidneys bind to acids in the blood, they form carbon dioxide (which we breathe out) and water (which we pee out)." (1)
What is confusing to me--though science does not support the validity of a low pH diet-- many foods that are considering high in acidity are clinically shown to increase inflammation. Acidity and inflammation seem like very similar concepts, as they both increase heat in the body and various diseased states. For example, sugar is considered both highly acidic and highly inflammatory (2) Thus, following a low pH diet may decrease inflammation, and improve overall health.
Furthermore, one may ask--why is the body to efficient in harmonizing pH levels, but less so in decreasing inflammation, or regulating blood sugar or blood fat levels? While the science of the alkaline diet has been debunked, further investigation into the efficacy of the digestive system is needed to understand the parallels between "acidic" foods and inflammation.
(1) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/the-alkaline-diet-myth#section2
(2) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sugar-and-inflammation#section3
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