Is pH important?

I was introduced to pH in junior high chemistry, but I didn’t really understand the importance of how it related to my health until I read the book “How to be Well…” by Leah D. Widtsoe. I’m considering making a few post on the importance of pH in the foods that we eat and how it effects our overall health. (I will mention more about Leah Widtsoe's book later)

First what is pH?

In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at 25 °C (77 °F). Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline. pH measurements are important in medicine, biology, chemistry, food science, environmental science, oceanography, civil engineering and many other applications.


The pH of different cellular compartments, body fluids, and organs is usually tightly regulated in a process called acid-base homeostasis.


The pH of blood is usually slightly basic with a value of pH 7.365. This value is often referred to as physiological pH in biology and medicine. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH)

If we aren’t careful with the balance of food that we eat, eating foods that are more acidic for example, our body has a way of balancing the pH for us. One major way our body neutralizes acid overload is to release calcium from our bones. If this environment is prolonged it can lead to osteoporosis. The body will also release other minerals like potassium and magnesium from our organs and bones too.


Because our body is about 60% fluid, it is important to help keep that fluid the right pH. If we do not it can be very taxing to our bodies, not just our bones but our organs, cells and tissues.
A high acidic environment promotes unhealthy bacteria and viruses in our digestive system and throughout our body. On the other hand those unfriendly microbes die more readily in a more alkaline environment.


Hopefully this has peaked your interest, if any of you have specific question that you’d like me to answer, feel free to add a comment below.