Factors That Influence Body PH

Many experts, including Dr. William Howard Hay, author of the book "A New Health Era," believe that one key to health is maintaining a balanced body pH. The pH, or relative alkalinity to acidity, of the human body is ideally slightly alkaline, between 7.3 to 7.4. A higher pH creates a condition called "acidosis." This may lead to a variety of diseases ranging from cardiovascular problems to osteoporosis to high LDL cholesterol. A more alkaline pH has been shown to be more beneficial within a reasonable range. Things you do every day influence body pH.

Diet

• The largest influence on body pH is your diet. Everything you eat is either alkaline or acidic. The website of the Natural Health School says that high-glycemic index foods increase acidity in your body, while low-glycemic foods decrease it.

  Meat, coffee, and sodas will tip the body pH toward the acidic end of the pH scale, as will alcohol and most processed foods. A diet high in vegetables and whole grains, sometimes called a "diabetic diet," helps keep the body at the desired alkaline pH. Surprisingly, lemons, like most fruits, are a high-alkaline food because their end products after digestion are alkaline. Other excellent alkaline foods include legumes and raw greens.

Minerals

• Metabolic equilibrium is known as "homeostasis." Your body strives for homeostasis at all times because that is it's healthiest state. In homeostasis, your immune system is the strongest, and your body's systems are working optimally. According to a study done by University of California at San Francisco, when your body is acidic it takes alkaline minerals such as calcium and potassium from your soft tissue and bone to try and restore pH balance. If you are deficient in these alkaline minerals, more must come from your body's other areas, which depletes the necessary reserves for that system or tissue to work. This is why acidosis is linked with osteoporosis, for example. The calcium used to restore an alkaline balance is often leached from your bones, which can weaken them.

Lifestyle

• Stress, exercise, and other daily choices can affect your body's pH balance. Acidic pH is common in those who are facing life changes, not getting enough sleep, or who live with high levels of daily stress. While stress itself can cause the body to become acidic, it often encourage other behaviors that also increase the likelihood of the body becoming acidic.

  Exercise is believed to help stave off acidosis, according to a joint study by The Departments of Physiology of Medicine at Gomal Medical College and Quaid-e-Azam Medical College. Those with active lifestyles are more likely to fall into a desirable pH range. Sedentary lifestyles, in turn, are associated with a higher likelihood of acidosis. According to a study by Jones, Sutton, Taylor and Toews, published in The Journal of Applied Physiology, acidosis can feed on itself. This can make the condition dfficult to reverse, because it decreases endurance and makes exercise more difficult. The Journal of Applied Physiology study also suggests that alkalosis, a more alkaline pH, has been conversely shown to increase endurance.