Alkaline balance is very important for bone health.

We evolved in an alkaline ocean environment and even today our body's internal environment remains alkaline, with a pH just above 7.0. Our enzymatic, immunologic, and repair mechanisms all function their best in an alkaline environment.

While an internal alkaline balance is optimal, our biochemical functioning, the processes of living and the metabolism of food, produce a great deal of acid. For example, when we exercise or move we produce lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Lactic acid is by its nature acid and the carbon dioxide represents an excretion of acids.

When we eat, we generate acids. For example, sulfuric acid can be produced from the metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids and we consume phosphoric acid as a food additive. Long chain fatty acids also produce excess acids when metabolized. Further, immune responses, manifest as allergies and hypersensitivity, and even stress generates substantial amounts of acidic by-products.

To regain the life-supporting alkaline state, metabolic acids from all sources must be buffered or neutralized through combination with salts of alkaline minerals. For example, potassium citrate and potassium malate are salts of organic anions commonly found in vegetables and fruits. These organic anions when metabolized have the ability to accept hydrogen ions and thus reduce the acid load and create an alkaline balance.

Acid Alkaline Food Chart (This is a large PDF file and will take a long time to download, please be patient).

Extracted from our book, Better Bones Better Body (Keats 2000) by our Director, Susan E. Brown, Ph.D., CCN

View downloadable .pdf article discussing acidity and osteoporosis.