Alkaline diets have no science to support it at all. There is absolutely nothing to support any of the claims.
In fact, the only research done on blood pH is to help people avoid being too alkaline or acidic.
You see, the blood must remain in a very narrow range: 7.45 to 7.6. Individuals have their set pH and no food on the planet will change it.
Here’s how ridiculous some of the alkaline people are.
1: Eat alkaline foods – then they name the top couple: apple cider vinegar, cabbage, apples.
ACV: pH 4.0 – very acidic
Cabbage: pH 6.2 – mildly acidic
Apples: pH 3.5 – very acidic
The foods they suggest are acidic, not alkaline
Processed foods are alkaline, coming in around 7.5 to 9.0 on average.
2: Foods digest better that are alkaline
Reality: All foods pass through the stomach and changed to pH 2.0 – extremely acidic
They move into the intestine at pH8.0 – mildly basic
Bile, used to digest fat, pH 5.0 – mildly acidic
Then into the large intestine at pH 5.0 – mildly acidic
Raising the pH of the stomach to 3.0 allows whole chunks of food to pass into the intestine and this leads to IBS, bile and gallbladder problems, and diverticulitis.
3: The nutrients in the food help make the blood more acidic or alkaline
Reality: Mildly true. The buffering ability of the blood is determined by the nutrients we eat. Processed foods do not deliver nutrients. Whole foods deliver lots of nutrients. Over 1,000 systems determine whether we stay in a normal range, not whether you ate wheat or quinoa.
4: Cancer lives in acidic conditions, so eat lots of cabbage, apples, and vinegar.
Research does show people who have cancer tend towards blood pH on the lower side of the normal pH spectrum. But, before alkalizers celebrate, those same people also have normal carb intake of over 300g per day and survive mostly on processed foods. The medication these people are on also decrease blood pH slightly. Blood oxygen is decreased and digestive function are depressed, which lowers the pH of blood.
We actually find when your digestive system becomes alkalized, the chances of cancer, diabetes, and other diseases goes up exponentially.
Really, the only thing the alkaline diet has going for it is that it supports a diet that is whole foods based.
The reasoning why you should alkalize is just garbage.