Submitted By: Phil Bourque BSA, DVM, MVS, Saskatchewan, Canada

I do a lot of reading on human nutrition and cancer as friends and family have died from cancer. One area that frequently comes up is how cancers can change body pH (or prefer an already present acidic environment), and that an alkalinizing diet and oxygenation are "anti-cancer" and therefore healthier for us long term. If fresh vegetables and fruits are more alkalinizing, then there may be more benefit to higher levels and less meats, dairy, etc. I would appreciate your comments on this issue - is the whole acid-alkaline diet idea credible and how does it fit into the NHE model. Thank you and please keep up the great work you are doing.


I believe the pH theory has much to offer in terms of advancing our understanding of health and disease. However, we need to be careful about using any single theory as a litmus test for drawing a distinction between "good" and "bad" foods. Someone using the pH theory as their sole guide to eating would be at heightened risk of omega 3 deficiency given that most sources of omega 3 are categorized as acidifying. Similarly, tea doesn't rate favorably on the pH scale but there is strong evidence indicating tea has beneficial health properties.

Replacing processed starches and sugars with fruit and especially vegetables (and eliminating soft drinks) would serve to improve substantially the average person's pH status. Vegetable only may be more alkanizing than vegetable and meat, but you forgo the protein and micronutrients meat contains. Also, the already challenging task of reducing bodyfat becomes more challenging where meat is marginalized or removed from the diet. So there needs to be a balancing of considerations, with reference to one's primary objective.

The evidence for increasing metabolic acidosis with age is fairly strong, though beyond the basic recommendation to eat your veggies and don't be strictly carnivorous, the effect of food on internal pH is not altogether clear. Whether a food is acidifying or alkanizing doesn't necessarily correlate with whether the food is itself acidic or alkaline. As I understand it, lemons are acidic but have a net alkanizing effect. Some nuts are alkanizing while others are acidifying. Also, there are questions regarding whether fruit may be alkanizing in some people and acidifying in others. Apple cider vinegar is classified as highly alkanizing while distilled vinegar is acidifying. Beyond the animal/vegetable distinction, itemizing acidifying and alkanizing foods can be a confusingly counterintuitive and uncertain process. Lifestyle factors relating to activity level and emotional stress influence pH levels, as well. Current research and growing acceptance of Eastern health philosophies suggest that one's thoughts and outlook, in addition to the right amount of exercise and the water we drink, has as much or more of an effect on internal pH levels than the foods we eat.