Acidity and cancer – what are the facts?

For years, a pervasive theory has existed that eating a low-acid, high-alkaline diet can help fight and prevent cancer. The premise? Cancer cells thrive in acidity (low pH), but not in alkalinity (high pH), so a diet high in alkaline foods like fruits and vegetables that also limits acidic foods, such as those from animal products, will raise blood pH levels and create an environment in the body that discourages cancer growth.

“I have litmus strips to check my saliva because someone told me that my body is too acidic.”

“I am avoiding citrus fruits, tomatoes, and acidic foods because cancer thrives in an acidic environment.”

These comments seem very logical and believable; however the concept that the body is too acidic, and one needs to make the body more alkaline in order to “starve” cancerous cells is only a myth. The information below will discuss how this myth got started, what we know today, and identify what you can do to incorporate cancer-fighting foods within your routine.

The History

Back in the late 1870’s a scientist named Marcellin Berthelot used the Bomb Calorimeter to study the amount of heat produced or absorbed during chemical reactions. This machine consisted of a cylinder-shaped chamber, pressurized oxygen, and a small amount of water. Berthelot would take various food substances (i.e., fruits, vegetables, meat, etc.) and incinerate them within this device which turned the item into an ash-type substance. When this ash was mixed with water, Berthelot was able to check the pH of each item. What he discovered was that items with a higher pH (more alkaline) were plant-based items such fruits and vegetables, while those with a lower pH (more acidic) were meats.

Then, in the early 1900s, the Nobel-prize winning Dr. Otto Warburg, suggested that cancer cells “live in hypoxic, very low oxygen, and acidic conditions and derive energy from sugars by fermenting them the way yeast does. From this, he theorized that these low-oxygen and highly-acidic conditions caused cancer.

Given these findings, it is easy to see where the acid-alkaline idea came from, BUT one must remember that science has dramatically advanced since these times. While both gentlemen provided cutting-edge research for their time, we know a lot more today about cancer, metabolism of food, and diet. So what do we know now?

Today’s Science

In order for a cancer cell to grow, it relies on growth of blood vessels in efforts to provide enough oxygen to metabolize energy. However, the pace of cancer cell growth and division is quicker than the production of oxygen-supplying blood vessels. This results in the inefficient metabolism of its energy supply, and ultimately, lactic acid is produced, through a metabolic process called the Cori cycle.

Because the cancer cell is producing lactic acid, does not mean that the whole body becomes acidic.

Normal blood pH range is between 7.35 and 7.45 for most people, and given the tight regulation of blood pH level by the lungs and kidneys, what you eat — or don’t eat — has little effect on it.

PH levels in urine can be affected by dietary factors, but the two systems are completely separate. Keep in mind that an increase in acid or alkaline in the urine reflects the fact that the kidney is doing its job. A change in urine status does not indicate a change in overall body pH.

It is also impossible to significantly alter one’s blood pH with the food you eat. Therefore, checking your saliva for acidity or alkalinity is not an accurate measure of your body’s actual pH balance.

Science reasons it is not the body that is too acidic and gives cancer cells a medium to grow and divide. Rather, it’s the opposite. Cancer cells produce acid, but that does not make the entire body more acidic.

Diet

The theory of the low-acid, high-alkaline diet as a cancer preventer or fighter persists because diet is something we can control. High alkaline foods are good, not because you’re changing the pH of your blood, but because they’re promoting good bacteria in your gut.

Whether a food is considered “acidic” or “alkaline” depends on its pH value (measured on a 14-point scale). A pH of seven is considered neutral, with foods below seven considered more acidic and foods above seven considered more alkaline.

Alkaline foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and root vegetables are all broken down into short-chain fatty acids that contain prebiotic nutrients that nourish good bacteria in your gut. These good bacteria help decrease inflammation throughout your body that might otherwise contribute to cancer, while foods such as refined sugar and flour, as well as too much saturated animal fat, create an acidic environment in your gut because they’re difficult to digest.

Is acidity a symptom of colon cancer?

The early warning signs of bowel cancer can be very subtle, and many people may not be aware that they’re at risk. One of the most common early symptoms of bowel cancer is persistent heartburn or stomach ache. However, it is perfectly normal to occasionally develop indigestion or heartburn after a big meal.

Conclusion

While the purported link between diet and blood pH is not grounded in sound science, there’s plenty of good that can be drawn from this way of eating when it comes to preventing and fighting cancer.

Fortunately, the same foods that Berthelot found to be alkaline back in the 1800s are many of the same foods that are recommended today for their cancer-fighting properties. These plant-based foods protect cells from damage, encourage normal cell growth, and other processes which help fight cancer and other chronic illnesses.

Conversely, high-intakes of acidic foods such as meat and animal-based proteins, have been linked to inflammation, insulin insensitivity, and increased cell division.

So, the myth of the need to make the body more alkaline does not have significant value in respect to cancer cell growth or development.

However, evidence suggests that incorporating more alkaline-type foods is to be recommended. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends a plant-based diet which aims at receiving at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, using whole grains versus refined grains, incorporating beans/legumes more often and meat less often.

Incorporating these dietary habits will limit your intake of acidic foods, increase your intake of alkaline foods, and provide your body with the cancer-fighting nutrients it craves.

Other areas of your body contain different levels of acidity, with your stomach being more acidic in order to breakdown any food you consume.

Summary

So whilst you might stick to a strict alkaline diet, the pay-off may not be what you expect. The diet does encourage an individual to eat healthily, owing to the emphasis on fruit and vegetables and avoidance of processed foods, so it does help with weight loss. However, it doesn’t have strong influence over the pH balance of your body.