The claimEvidence A · guideline-tier
Alkaline water / diet neutralises body acid
The evidence
Your lungs and kidneys hold blood pH tightly at 7.35-7.45, and stomach acid neutralizes the water first; a systematic review (Fenton 2016, BMJ Open) rules out a cause-and-effect link between acid-base balance and cancer.
The mechanism, in brief
Human blood pH is held between 7.35 and 7.45, a very narrow window, and drifting far from it is a life-threatening emergency. Three lines of defense guard it. The bicarbonate buffer in the blood takes up or releases hydrogen ions on the spot. The lungs adjust breathing to breathe off or hold on to carbon dioxide,…
Sources (2)
- Fenton, T. R., & Huang, T. (2016). Systematic review of the association between dietary acid load, alkaline water and cancer. BMJ Open, 6(6), e010438. Found no evidence supporting a causal link between dietary acid load or alkaline water and cancer.
- Hall, J. E., & Hall, M. E. (2020). Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology (14th ed.): Acid-Base Regulation. Blood pH is held at 7.35-7.45 by the bicarbonate buffer, respiratory CO2 control, and renal handling of hydrogen and bicarbonate ions.