What does akalinity do to the body?

Answer 1

The body maintains a balance called "acid-base balance", measured by blood pH. The average balanced pH is about 7.4 which is healthy for humans. The body does alot of things to keep this balanced, mostly using the lungs to get rid of acidic carbon dioxide and using chemicals from the kidneys (bicarbonate) to buffer or balance the pH.

Alkaline is the "base" or "basic" side of things. An alkaline pH would be anything over 7.45 such as 7.7, and at a certain point this becomes unhealthy. So alkalinity is what keeps the body from getting too acidic.

Having acidic conditions over long periods of one's life can raise the risk of cancers forming. Many manufacturers of health products and supplements claim that their veggie drinks or alkaline water/drinks can change blood pH. Eating lots of bitter leafy greens and vegetables and a balanced diet in general may give the body what it needs to do its job. Eating acidic foods which are way too common and prevalent in the modern diet can definitely make it harder to stay out of the acidic range- coffee, soft drinks, vinegar and cured or processed products have all been implicated. Sometimes food is intentionally made more acidic to keep bacteria from growing in the food.

But small amounts of supplementation over short periods are not likely to change serum pH significantly. But these are not as powerful as exercise, which promotes blood flow to the kidneys and causes accelerated elimination of carbon dioxide.

Now keep reading if you want to know about the nursing/medical knowledge behind this: ... the body can enter 4 types of imbalance: metabolic acidosis, metabolic alkalosis, respiratory acidosis, and respiratory alkalosis. Metabolic conditions usually involve the body and the kidneys (CO2 will be normal here but other markers like bicarbonate will be high or low), and respiratory conditions involve the lungs and breathing (C02 will be high in acidosis or low in acidosis). Any of the above can be "compensated" (buffered by the kidneys that work to try and balance pH) or "uncompensated" (pH is unchanged because the kidneys aren't handling the situation).

Respiratory rates can change to hyperventilation or slow deep breathing which will change the the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide. All of this stuff is measured by a set of tests called "Arterial Blood Gases (ABGs)" which tell us everything we need to know to find out which of the above are going on. Sometimes something as simple as relaxation and deep breathing can bring a person back to balance, other times it's more complicated.

Answer 2

Alkalinity in the body helps maintain the pH balance, supporting proper bodily functions and overall health. It can help neutralize acids and reduce inflammation, leading to improved energy levels and immune function. However, excessively high alkalinity can also disrupt the body's natural balance and cause negative health effects.