NOTE: my article has started appearing, plagiarized, on other sites around the Internet, which I guess I take as a complement. Please note that this is the original source. If you see this elsewhere, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks, Ross

I’m often asked: if Dr Young is so sure about this Alkaline Diet theory, why hasn’t anyone ever validated it with a study.

A fair enough question.

My answer is this:

To research a whole, holistic approach to health would cost millions. You would have to have a significantly sized sample group all following this diet to the letter over a very long period of time. To test for results against outcomes as wide ranging as from cancer to eczema and from libido to acne would require a massive sample and so many different control groups it is just impossible.

BUT what you can test is individual effects, and this is already being done in the health and science world.

I posted a few months ago about the alkaline diet and bone health being validated in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism and there are heaps of other studies, from peer-reviewed, top-ranked, scientific journals that prove that meat and dairy cause cancers, vegetarians have a lowered risk of heart disease and diabetes, high-sugar drinks lead to osteoporosis, a diet rich in omega 3 protects against brain and motor-skill degeneration etc. These are all backing up the alkaline diet as each is proving the efficacy of each of the core principles of alkalising.

The Alkaline Diet Cures Everything?

Just because a study is yet to be published in AJCN or BJM that has the headline: ‘Alkaline Diet Cures Everything’ – does not mean that this approach to health is not constantly being validated, bit by bit, in various prestigious journals all over the world.

Which brings me onto this belter of an article I have just stumbled upon from the Journal of Nutrition. Published in January 2008, the title is: The Balance of Bone Health: Tipping the Scales in Favor of Potassium-Rich, Bicarbonate-Rich Foods

The Alkaline Theory is Put Beyond Doubt

I will firstly summarise the article, and then give my thoughts and opinions on this and relate it back to Dr Young’s theories. There are a lot of related points and so I will bullet point them so that I don’t lose you or get lost myself!

Summary of the Article

The article is concerned with the bone health in the Western world, with costs estimated at $17.9 billion per year in the USA and costs in Europe well in excess of €13.9 billion being spent on treating osteoporosis.

The review article outlines the current evidence available in the literature linking potassium-rich, bicarbonate-rich foods to osteoporosis prevention and bone mineral density (BMD). The review includes clinical studies, dietary intervention studies and cross-sectional/longitudinal, observational studies from a variety of peer-reviewed research studies/articles.

In short, the review covers a substantial amount of literature in this field and the findings are that:

A diet rich in vegetable and fruits that are high in potassium and bicarbonate has an unquestionable benefit to bone health

Key Points, My Thoughts & Why This Matters

The philosophy of the alkaline diet (briefly) is that the body has to maintain a pH balance of 7.365 in the blood and other cells. In the same way that it has to maintain your body temperature within a certain range – it will also do whatever it takes to maintain that pH balance. To do so we have a small amount of alkaline buffers to neutralise acids consumed, however, with the modern Western diet this buffer is always very quickly exhausted, and the body has to draw alkaline minerals (magnesium, potassium, sodium and calcium – principally) from wherever it can to keep our pH at 7.365.

This article is cast-iron guaranteed proof of this philosophy. So with this in mind, here are my thoughts on the key points. I am going to bullet my points for the sake of brevity!

• The article states that a diet rich in potassium and sodium bicarbonate (both highly alkaline minerals) leads to stronger, more health bones. In fact it actually states “potassium-rich, bicarbonate-rich foods (i.e., fruits and vegetables or dietary alkali) (are linked) to osteoporosis prevention” – however, it also goes to point out that vegetables are a far superior source than dairy because not only are vegetables a source of the combination of potassium and bicarbonate but also, the vegetable diet reduced the “acid load” compared to dairy and led to higher calcium absorption.
• The article also references the famous Aberdeen Prospective Osteoporosis Screening Study (APOSS) stating that:
  

  (the study has) shown specific associations between nutrients found in abundance in fruits and vegetables and both axial and peripheral bone mass and markers of bone resorption. Women (n = 994) in the lowest quartile of intake for potassium, magnesium, fiber, vitamin C, and ?-carotene had significantly lower lumbar spine and femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD)…APOSS has shown a consistent longitudinal beneficial effect of fruit and vegetable nutrients on bone loss in premenopausal women

• My favourite quote from the study, however, is this:
  

  Adult humans on a normal Western diet generate ~1 mEq/kg body weight of acid per day. Of course, the more acid precursors a diet contains, the greater the degree of systemic acidity. Hence, in the West, there are good data to show that we consume a very acidic diet.

  Clear mechanisms exist for a deleterious effect of acid on bone.

  Novel work in the 1980s by Arnett and Dempster demonstrated a direct enhancement of osteoclastic activity following a reduction in extracellular pH. This effect was shown to be independent of the influence of parathyroid hormone. Osteoclasts and osteoblasts appear to respond independently to small changes in pH in the culture medium in which they are growing. Work by Arnett and Spowage and work by Bushinsky have shown evidence that a small drop in pH, close to the physiological range, causes a tremendous burst in bone resorption. Metabolic acidosis has also been shown to stimulate resorption by activating mature osteoclasts already present in calvarial bone rather than by inducing formation of new osteoclasts.

  To put this in simple terms: when our cellular pH goes down, our bones break down. This makes even more sense when you understand that ‘bone resorption’ is the process by which osteoclasts break down bone and release the minerals, resulting in a transfer of calcium from bone fluid to the blood (definition from Wikipedia).

  So – when our pH drops, our bones break down to release alkaline minerals back into our blood to raise the pH of our blood and other cells!

  This is solid, solid proof of Dr Young’s theory! As stated earlier, when we consume too much acid and exhaust our alkaline buffers, our body grabs alkaline minerals from wherever it can to neutralise these acids – and this is a really clear example of this happening.

• Back to the article – “a recent Swiss study suggests a strong beneficial effect of alkali supplementation in osteopenic women…potassium citrate supplementation studies have shown a beneficial effect on bone turnover markers” – more proof
• And interestingly, giving some scope for the elusive ‘Alkaline Diet Cures Everything’ headline:

  The DASH trial was the first to indicate a link between a dietary alkali load and bone. The DASH diet comprises careful selection of low-fat dairy products, reduced amounts of meat, and a high consumption of whole grains and fruits and vegetables. In contrast, the control diet in the DASH trial reflected a typical Westernized diet that is higher in fat and low in dairy, fruit, and vegetable products. The DASH diet was associated with a significant decline in blood pressure compared with baseline measurements.

  What’s this? The subjects who were following an alkaline diet not only had much stronger bones but they also showed a significant decline in blood pressure compared with those not on an alkaline diet.

This research study clearly puts two things beyond doubt for me:

1. Consuming dietary or supplementary alkali will help maintain and grow bone density
2. Consuming an overly acidic diet will lead to bones breaking down in order to maintain blood and cell pH at the slightly alkaline level of 7.365

I’ve always truly believed in the alkaline approach to health, but I have to say, this article puts it well beyond doubt for me. For a review article to get published in such a top-ranked, peer-reviewed Journal, that lists study after study after study backing this theory is simply absolute, unquestionable validation of the alkaline approach to health.

I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

Have a great day
Ross

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

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From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

Hey all

As you may, or may not know – Dr Young is an incredibly prolific researcher and writer and each week he posts a number of blogs about alkalising, new research, feedback, answers questions etc. It’s an awesome read and a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of the most up-to-date health, wellness and alkaline lifestyle news!

I estimate that 30% of the questions I am asked each week via email are as a result of the blogs Dr Young makes and the points he raises, so each week I aim to summarise and comment on his output and give my opinions!

• Do you know what acidic chemicals you may be putting on your skin or hair?: In this blog post, Dr Young points out the hidden acids/dangers in skincare and beauty products. I blogged about chemical and natural products on New Years Eve so my thoughts on it are pretty obvious – steer clear of chemical products! Although a little more expensive (but not always) natural products for your home, skin, hair etc. are worth every penny. Both Dr Young and myself point out parabens as the big one to avoid, and I’ll quote his post to highlight: “In a recent Canadian study, 19 out of 20 breast tumors examined had high amounts of parabens in them” – crazy.
• Acid Reflux – The REAL Cause: His 2nd post last week was an email letter regarding acid reflux. I’ll post highlight of it here because it is both brilliant and funny:
  

  Hey Bro – Part of the reason you are having “heart pangs” and stress tests is because of your Mammy and Pappy’s diet and menu which were served up in lots of home cooking, church dinners, school lunches, holiday feasts, and cottage cook-outs across a number of little towns in Wisconsin.

  You see, you and your clueless allopathic doctor (who still believes in the germ theory) did not address the cause of your GERD/acid reflux problem several years back. He/she just helped you mask the symptoms for several years with a “miracle drug” and allowed you to go on with dangerously delicious ball park fare.But his/her goofy medical school treatment of you….. funded by drug companies…. has caused you to now move on to another level…. thanks to ignoring the first earlier warnings.

  The same problem that causes GERD also causes heart problems and every other health illness known to man.

  So then, in addition to continuing with the SAME diet that caused the GERD, your doctor got you started working on a second problem with the same old crappy diet.
  Meanwhile, you began taking a HIGHLY ACIDIC pharmaceutical drug for “GERD” ……a purple pill as I recall……which in large part FURTHER caused the second problem….the flippy floppy heart action.

  So now, for your everyday enjoyment…..you have:

  a) the same crappy diet…..:-)

  b) two different serious problems,

  c) two or more acidic poisonous drugs (gut & heart) designed to mask and hide everything from your awareness…..and

  d) no awareness or focus on the cause.

  Truth is, the doc doesn’t even want you to think about it any more than they think about it. It’s been 20 years for them since medical school, and they just want you to keep coming back for checkups and more prescriptions…and don’t ask too many questions.

  There is no disease called GERD, or Acid Reflux, or Tachycardia, or heart disease, or cardiovascular disease.

  There is no disease called diabetes, arthritis, stroke, obesity, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s….and on and on. Those are all symptoms…..just a few of thousands in the doctor’s diagnostic manual…..to match up with tens of thousands of drugs….:-)

  Did you ever wonder who made up the name “restless leg syndrome?” A pharmaceutical company….and now there are four or five drugs for that!

  Hey little Bro, there is only one disease and it is called “acidosis.” There is only one cure….and I’m pretty sure you can read about it in the Bible, the Koran, the Upanishads, the Vedas, the Talmud….and all the other Sacred Scriptures handed down throughout the ages. It’s called eating from God’s Green earth. VEGETABLES!!!!

  P.S. I think I’ll send this to your pretty wife so she can rag on you when I’m not available….:-) And maybe your sisters too. They all eat like crap, don’t they? We were all raised in Wisconsin with cheap milk, ice cream, beef, bacon, butter, corn, bratwurst, beer, and cheese. It’s amazing anyone is alive in Wisconsin…:-)

  Genius – I cut out a heap of it so click here for the full article.

  My thoughts are that this, in its own way, is bang on. A little crude, and the author makes a few points that I believe in but often stay away from – but yep, it is bang on. When will someone with some influence stand up to the pharma’s and government and push the fact that WE ALL KNOW THAT PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN JUST MASKING SYMPTOMS (and causing other symptoms in the process).

• The Greatest pH Miracle Secret of Health: Gives a great overview of Dr Young’s theory on health and disease. He posts that:
  

  The survival of every animal, bird, fish, plant, and cell, whether it is bacteria, yeast, or protozoa, depends entirely upon its environment. Dis-ease is never acquired; it is always created. Dis-ease is a natural result obtained from an unnatural lifestyle. The entry of an outside entity (bacteria, yeast, parasite) has little effect upon our bodies – unless our internal environment has become acidic, polluted, and congested. Germs do not cause dis-ease – germs are the evidence of an internal polluted environment.

  The most important point to understand here is that germs do not cause dis-ease; they are the product of cellular transformation. It is acid that breaks down the human cell not bacteria. It is acid that causes dis-ease, not bacteria or yeast. There is only one sickness, one dis-ease and one cause – the over-acidification of the blood, then the tissues due to an inverted way of living, eating and thinking. There is NO OTHER CAUSE FOR DISEASE but ACIDITY.

  This may sound strange at first, but when you dig deeper and really understand this, it just makes so much sense. When we constantly overexpose our body to acids (bad fats, sugars, meat, dairy, alcohol, tobacco, refined foods, fizzy drinks etc) our body becomes so compromised that it cannot defend itself – and in this environment disease can prosper. If we constantly give our body nutrient dense, fresh, alkaline foods then we give disease and illness no chance to get a foothold. As Dr Young puts it: ‘As long as this filth remains within, our bodies grow weaker, and we become more and more prone towards (nutritional) deficiencies and acidic dis-ease.’

• Folic Acid May Cause Bowel Cancer: Dr Young reports upon a recent study published in the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology which highlights that the rate of a cancerous colorectal condition in Chile may have increased since that country began fortifying wheat flour with the acid folic acid. Click here for more.

There are a few other testimonials posted this week, but I guessed you wouldn’t need a synopsis of those!

I’d love to think that some of the discussion and comment I get by email is continued into the comments on this blog, so if you have any thoughts on the above then do let me know below!

Have a great week
Ross

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

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From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

Hey all

Quick one to let you know that tickets for Dr Young Live in London are NOW ON SALE! We have sold loads in a very short space of time so I really recommend you get in before we sell out.

This is your only chance to see him live this year as we will not be putting on any other events with him in 2009.

You can download a guide to the event here and buy your tickets here

I look forward to meeting you all there! Come and say hi!

Ross

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

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From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

Hi all

Just a quick one to remind you that tickets to Dr Young’s first ever UK weekend seminar (and his only live European date in 2009) go on sale tomorrow at 12 noon UK time. That’s Friday 27th, at 12:00pm UK time.

I’ll post the link to the page once it is all good to go.

Click here to download a PDF guide to the event, including ticket prices, a schedule of what will be taught and information about the venue.

I spoke to Dr Young earlier today and we’re both pretty jazzed with how it is all looking!

Have a great day
Ross

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

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From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

energiseforlife.com are proud to announce that we are bringing Dr Robert Young to the UK for a one-off weekend seminar in June. This is his only live seminar in Europe for 2009 and the event is limited to just 250 tickets!

Over the course of this two-day seminar you will learn:

• Why having the correct acid/alkaline balance is critical to your health, energy and long-term wellbeing
• How to alkalise for weight loss, masses of energy and vitality
• Protocols for cancer, chronic fatigue, allergies, osteoporosis and more
• An understanding of blood and body pH and how it is affected
• Alkalising strategies from the world’s leading expert
• How to integrate the principles of alkalising into your life
• The strategies and techniques used by long-term alkalisers to effectively stay on track
• Understand how using each principle increases your chances of success
• How to eat and cook alkaline
• Live case studies from the audience including real-time live blood analysis

Dr Young is a hugely influential and inspiring teacher. You will leave this event armed with the knowledge and motivation to make your dream health and body a reality.

Extremely Limited Tickets

This event is designed to be small and intimate because much of the content is interactive with the audience. We promise you that if you are able to get a ticket you will really appreciate this – it makes for a far more inspirational event and a great learning environment.

However, this does mean that the demand for this event will far outweigh the ticket availability.

In the few weeks since we announced the event on the blog we have had over 14,000 people email to confirm that they are interested in tickets. Even if only 1% of these people buy a ticket there will only be 60 left.

When do tickets go on sale?

Tickets will be available from energiseforlife.com on Friday 27th March at 12pm. We predict that this event will completely sell out within 24 hours.

Click here to sign up to our priority ticket group and give yourself the best chance of securing a ticket!

Good Luck!

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Mail | Web | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | YouTube

From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...