Probably most people have heard about the alkaline diet. This diet is also known as the name acid-alkaline diet. This popular diet has its roots in the many studies of Claude Bernard, a biologist. Claude studies the effects of the kidneys for controlling the acidity of fluids present in the body.
It is said that this diet has different features which mark it as a healthy diet and a flexible diet. Read on, to find out more about the alkaline diet and diabetes.
The theory of this diet that the food we consume affects the pH levels in the body.
According to this theory consuming specific foods can raise the acidity in the body, while on the other hand there are other foods that make the body alkaline.
Based on this theory:
The natural pH level in the body is from 7.35 to 7.45 and it is slightly alkaline. Moreover, the body maintains this pH level with different mechanisms such as the respiratory system and the kidneys.
Furthermore, some promoters of this diet believe that this particular diet can help with specific health issues that might be caused or triggered by the excessive amount of acids.
They believe that such conditions are the following:
The purpose of this diet is to stop the body from going into a more acidic state. Moreover, to prevent the body to have to take corrective action to restore the natural pH level of the body.
The good news is that this diet is a healthy diet which might be beneficial if it is planned correctly. As a matter of fact, the alkaline diet is mostly a vegetarian diet which consists of olive oil, a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits, certain kinds of legumes and nuts, and soy.
All foods above mentioned are thought to be low acid-producing foods.
People who follow this diet try to ensure that around 80 percent of the food they consume is actually alkaline food. Some might wonder why specific foods like fruit are part of the alkaline diet it is like that because after digestion the foods have the alkaline effect.
It is believed that this diet can benefit the body in this way:
Some people believe that this diet can help since it lowers the risk of diabetes-related complications.
According to this study, increased vegetables and fruits in this diet might help improve the K/Na ratio. Moreover, it might lower muscle wasting, benefit the health of the bones and mitigate chronic diseases like strokes and hypertension.
The increase in growth hormone with this diet might help improve outcomes such as memory, cognition, and cardiovascular health.
But the big downside is that other than the study above mentioned, there are no large clinical studies that support these claims. There is no evidence that by changing our diet we will change the acid-base balance in the body.
Such claims should be seen with skepticism. There is a need for more research on this topic. All we can do is wait and hope for the best.
In case we are on a diabetes drug which can bring on hypoglycemia, we need to make sure that this diet won’t raise the risk of low blood glucose level. People should consult a doctor before they start a diet that is different than their current one.
Our doctor should know about any change in our diabetes management plan.