Urine PH Neither Reflects Your Blood’s PH Nor Your Overall Health
Diet can change the pH value of your urine, however, the effect of diet on the pH of your blood is insignificant. And your body excretes acids in urine to regulate its blood pH. [5]
Note that urine tests are important and are a useful measure in certain diagnoses. Notwithstanding, Mayo Clinic says it provides little useful information. Therefore, urine pH doesn’t give the true value of the blood pH and your health. [6]
Potential Health Benefits of an Alkaline Diet
Although no credible evidence to justify these claims, followers of the alkaline diet believe it has some health benefits:
Acid-forming Diet and Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a decrease in bone mineral density thereby causing a decrease in bone strength. The disease affects men and women at any age but it’s prevalent among women of certain races. [7]
The link between an alkaline diet and osteoporosis is referred to as the acid ash hypothesis of osteoporosis. The hypothesis claims that the consumption of a modern diet produces acid which requires the mobilization of bone minerals, especially calcium to buffer. To put it simply, the body extracts calcium from bone to counteract excess acid.
However, more calcium in the urine doesn’t represent your body’s calcium balance. A meta-analysis in a Journal of Bone and Mineral Research failed to establish a link between net acid excretion and a change in markers of bone metabolism. [8]
Ironically, some evidence suggests certain types of acid play a role in bone formation. A 2018 review concluded that collagen increases bone minerals and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) assists in collagen synthesis. [9] [10]
Similarly, a 2021 study found a positive link between orthosilic acid and bone formation. In the same vein, this review and meta-analysis didn’t find any association between an acid-rich diet and the risk of fractures. [11] [12]
Therefore, bone issues are majorly due to low calcium intake. In fact, high calcium intake and a high acid-producing diet may be protective. [13]
