Acidity Is Required To Promote Alkalinity

by Carolyn Pierini, CLS (ASCP), CNC

One of the most important metabolic functions that our bodies perform is maintaining a specific pH, especially the pH of the blood, which must be maintained in very close proximity to 7.4 (slightly alkaline). What many people do not understand is that, in order to support alkalinity in the blood and tissues, the intestinal tract must maintain a pH that is quite different. Supporting a healthy intestinal pH is the foundation to maintaining optimal pH in the rest of the body.

The stomach (pH 1-3) is the most acidic part of the body and largely determines the pH of the rest of the intestine and eventually, the body itself. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) levels in the stomach are ideal when we are young and diminish with age and dietary insult. This is seen by the amount of stomach issues encountered with aging. HCL kills the microbes we take into our body daily so they don’t cause overgrowth further down the intestine. Sufficient HCl starts the breakdown of food for the small intestine rather quickly so food doesn’t sit in the stomach too long (waiting for its acidification, causing gas and heartburn issues). Sufficient HCl mixed with a meal helps stimulate the next 2 crucial events. The first is the release by the pancreas of an alkaline secretion of digestive enzymes and buffering bicarbonate, and the other is the release by the gallbladder of alkalizing bile for the digestion of fats and release of toxins for elimination. The pH of the small intestine now becomes pH 8.

If these steps fail to occur properly, undigested food particles set the stage for inflammatory events, which create—not surprisingly—a negative shift in whole body pH. In fact, in order to make HCl in the stomach, the body must convert CO2 from the blood into hydrogen atoms, which it keeps for acid production, and bicarbonate (alkaline molecule), which it sends back to the blood. So the very process of making HCl creates alkalinity for the blood and tissues. Additionally and very importantly, without HCl, which creates the strong acidity of the stomach, we cannot absorb the minerals from food and supplements needed to maintain an alkaline body.

It may help the understanding of acid/alkaline balance to simply remember this: “If your stomach is sufficiently acidic, then your tissues are more likely to be ideally alkaline.” Clinical observation supports this as seen with food sensitivity relief, for example, which occurs when HCl is properly supplemented. States of low HCl are common today for many reasons. For further discussion, refer to the article “Eliminating the Surprising Culprit Behind Stomach Concerns,” available on the website.