Does the alkaline diet cure diseases?

The alkaline diet: another path in nutrition that claims to be the “best type of diet.” Its existence is based on the belief that diseases arise in a body with high acidity. To prevent them, this diet proposes to alkalinize ourselves –you might remember your chemistry classes in high school about acids and bases– through foods that increase pH in the body.Thus, followers of the alkaline diet fill their refrigerators with legumes, vegetables, and greens. In contrast, animal products and dairy are sent to the corner of shame. Morning coffee, afternoon chocolate? Never again. This is because diets rich in chloride and sodium promote a more acidic environment, while diets rich in potassium and bicarbonate alkalinize better.The principle sounds logical; however, the Food and Development Research Center states that there is no scientific evidence confirming the effectiveness of the alkaline diet. And here's something wonderful: the human body is already equipped to achieve a balance in pH through renal and even respiratory mechanisms. (That's why meditation helps not only the mind but also the body.)While proponents of the alkaline diet claim it can overcome various diseases like cancer, the Food and Development Research Center asserts that cancer cells cannot live in an alkaline environment just as other cells in the body cannot!To clear up my doubts and explore the pros and cons of the alkaline diet, I spoke with one of our in-house nutritionists, bioquímica expert Jennifer Asencio. Here’s what she told me. Pros:• Indeed, a high alkaline pH can reduce inflammation due to high vegetable consumption –yes, consuming too many vegetables can also be counterproductive–.• The diet promotes good practices like eliminating ultra-processed foods, refined flours, and added sugars –responsible for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases– while encouraging the consumption of healthy foods like legumes, vegetables, and greens.• There is some evidence that acidosis induced by acidic foods could cause molecular events associated with carcinogenesis (cancer).Cons:• So far, it hasn’t been proven that acidity can be regulated by consuming different foods.• The alkaline diet creates false expectations as sometimes people expect results similar to a detox –although Jennifer assures that we will indeed go to the bathroom more regularly and avoid constipation–.• This is not a “miracle” diet; whether we lose weight or not will depend on the number of calories we consume.• The body is so perfect that it already has functional systems to maintain acidity and alkalinity.• The pH in our body varies from one area to another; for example: we need a higher acidity in the stomach (pH of 1.35 to 3.5) to aid digestion and protect us against opportunistic microorganisms. However, it is required that the layer covering the epithelium be alkaline to prevent mucosal damage. The same happens in the skin, in the urine, etc.In the end, nothing beats taking responsibility for our food choices. There is no diet like a balanced diet that listens to the needs and deficiencies of the body and connects us with it.