A little knowledge can be dangerous. It gives us the impression we understand something far better than we actually do. Properly exploiting that sliver of truth is the goal of con artists everywhere.

One of the more lucrative scams is the alkaline diet. There are several books on the subject and their idea is simple. Any food you eat can bring an acidic, neutral or alkaline load to your body. As society has advanced, we're eating more acidic foods and that's the reason for many of our health problems. Alkaline diet promoters claim if we switch to a diet rich in alkaline foods we can drop the weight, prevent ulcers, protect our bones and even relieve arthritis.

If only it were true. Meals only shift stomach pH briefly before your stomach secretes more acid and returns to normal. Your blood pH stays tightly regulated by your lungs and kidneys. You have something called enzymes that start all the chemical reactions in your body. Enzymes function within a narrow range of acidity. Should that acidity level fluctuate, your body quickly moves to change it back to normal. If it didn't, those chemical reactions that are critical to our survival wouldn't happen.

To measure how acidic or alkaline things are, scientists refer to the "pH" level. Normal pH levels for people are between 7.35 and 7.45. If things get seriously out of whack, the conditions are called acidosis (extremely high acidity) or alkalosis (extremely low acidity.) If you have either of those conditions, you don't need a dietary change, you need a hospital because they can both be life-threatening.

To help you out, I've decided to list some of the major myths and realities of an alkaline diet. If you're an alkaline diet believer, don't get mad at me for presenting the facts. Get mad at the people who told you the lies in the first place.

Myth: The alkaline diet must work the way the promoters say, look at all the people who've lost weight on it.

Reality: The typical alkaline or pH balance diet begins with some very reasonable suggestions. Start by eliminating or dramatically cutting back on grains and vegetables cooked with fat. Replace whole milk, cheese and fatty meats with non-fat milk, low-fat cheese and lean meats. Substitute water, green tea and caffeine-free drinks for sugar-filled soda, energy drinks and alcohol.

Those changes are right in line with the recommendations of many diets. Eat more fruits and vegetables while dumping high calorie and high fat processed foods. But the reason why people lose weight following that advice is because those foods have fewer calories, not because it's changing the acid balance of your body.

Myth: Highly acidic foods cause stomach ulcers.

Reality: There are two primary causes of stomach ulcers. A bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Spicy foods and citrus fruits may aggravate the symptoms, but they don't cause the condition.

Myth: Acidic foods deplete calcium, weaken your bones and make your blood more acidic.

Reality: Not really. Current evidence shows protein supports bone health when calcium intake is adequate. Systematic reviews find neutral or positive links between protein intake and bone mineral density, with lower fracture risk in older adults. The 'acid-ash' theory for bone loss lacks scientific support.

Myth: There are hundreds of studies online that prove the alkaline diet works and is good for you.

Reality: There are hundreds of ARTICLES available online where people express their BELIEF in the effectiveness and health benefits of an alkaline diet. But someone giving a testimonial about how an alkaline diet changed their life isn't medical proof. Testimonials are simply one person's opinion. As of 2025, there are still no high-quality clinical trials showing alkaline diets treat or prevent disease. Small alkaline water studies exist with mixed results and no meaningful clinical outcomes.

Myth: I'm following the advice of a highly respected doctor, Robert O. Young as laid out in his book The pH Miracle.

Reality: (From Center for Science in the Public Interest): In June 2017, Young—who charged people thousands of dollars to attend his “pH Miracle” retreats—was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for practicing medicine without a license. He also admitted to having no college education. (His “Ph.D.” apparently came from a diploma mill.)

Myth: An alkaline diet helps relieve the pain from arthritis.

Reality: Any diet that helps you lose weight can relieve arthritis pain. As you drop the pounds, there is less stress on your joints, which results in less pain. There is no clinical evidence connecting a drop in arthritic pain simply because of a low acid diet.

There is one exception: people with chronic kidney disease and metabolic acidosis may benefit from supervised dietary changes to reduce acid load. This requires medical oversight, not wellness trends.

The next time somebody tries to sell you alkaline products, walk away. Whether it's pH testing kits, alkaline water, or special diets based on food acidity levels, none of them work as advertised.

Those urine test strips measure urine pH, which fluctuates with diet and hydration. They don't reflect your blood pH, which stays tightly controlled by your kidneys and lungs regardless of what you eat or drink.

Don't waste time explaining the science to the sellers. They've already convinced themselves the lie is true. Your job is simply not to buy into it.

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Reference Links:

Kidney and Cardiovascular Protection Using Dietary Acid Reduction in Primary Hypertension: A Five-Year, Interventional, Randomized, Control Trial

Nimrit Goraya, MDa,b ∙ Nicolaos E. Madias, MDc ∙ Jan Simoni, PhD, DVMd ∙ Maninder Kahlon, PhDe ∙ Nazan Aksan, PhDe ∙ Donald E. Wesson, MD
The American Journal of Medicine, Published November 2024

Click Here for the Study: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2024.06.006

 

Acid–base balance: a review of normal physiology

I Shaw, K Gregory
BJA Education, Published 2022 Aug 18

Click Here for the Study: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjae.2022.06.003

 

Physiology, Acid Base Balance

Erin Hopkins; Terrence Sanvictores; Sandeep Sharma.
StatPearls - National Library of Medicine National Center for Biotechnology Information, Published September 12, 2022

Click Here for the Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507807/

 

Protein intake and bone health: an umbrella review of systematic reviews for the evidence-based guideline of the German Nutrition Society

Armin Zittermann, Annemarie Schmidt, Julia Haardt, Nicole Kalotai, Andreas Lehmann, Sarah Egert, Sabine Ellinger, Anja Kroke, Stefan Lorkowski, Sandrine Louis, Matthias B Schulze, Lukas Schwingshackl, Roswitha Siener, Gabriele I Stangl, Dorothee Volkert, Bernhard Watzl, Heike A Bischoff-Ferrari
Osteoporosis International, Published 01 May 2023

Click Here for the Study: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-023-06709-7

 

Systematic review of the association between dietary acid load, alkaline water and cancer

Tanis R Fenton, Tian Huang
BMJ Open, Published 06 June 2017

Click Here for the Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27297008/

 

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9/11/2011
Updated 11/19/2013
Updated 4/12/2019
Updated 9/24/2025