The body must be maintained at the right pH in order to function properly
The pH of blood is extremely important for ensuring optimal health and is very closely regulated by the body. Disturbances or imbalance sin your body’s pH can result in long-term health effects. The body uses a number of different mechanisms to adjust and maintain this pH balance:
- The kidneys excrete excess acids through the urine
- The lungs exhale acidic carbon dioxide
- Alkalising minerals and mineral salts bind to and neutralise acids in the blood
pH is a measure of the amount of acid in a solution or in the body. The pH scale ranges from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline). The normal pH of human blood is slightly alkaline.
What is chronic metabolic acidosis?
If blood pH rises too high and the body cannot adequately adjust it, the blood becomes too alkaline. This is called acute alkalaemia. Conversely if blood pH rapidly drops too low, it is called acute acidaemia. These are serious conditions that require medical treatment, though they are quite rare. However, a mild decrease in blood pH, near the bottom end of the normal range, is quite common. This is termed chronic metabolic acidosis (CMA).
Chronic metabolic acidosis (CMA) is the term used to describe long-term, mild decreases in physiological pH. CMA is very common in modern, industrialised countries due to factors such as diet, lifestyle, and stress.
CMA linked to many chronic diseases
While not life-threatening like Acute Metabolic Acidosis, CMA does have some significant long term health effects. It means that the body has to work hard to compensate for the excess acidity in the blood. Over time, this increases the risk of developing chronic health conditions including type II diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, and reduced muscle mass. Day-to-day being too acidic can cause symptoms such as fatigue, poor stress tolerance, anxiety, joint aches and pains, inflammation, and difficulty losing weight.
Testing can reveal if CMA is affecting you
The main factors that can cause CMA are diet, lifestyle, and stress. In particular, a diet low in fruits and vegetables and high in animal-based proteins can affect pH balance in the body. The best way to determine if your body is too acidic is to have a urinary pH and/or blood test done. Based on these results, there are a variety of treatments that can be used to help rebalance your body’s pH – including dietary changes and the use of alkalising mineral citrates.
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