Acid load is a term which refers to the balance of acids and bases in our diets (also known as pH-balance within the body). Food and drink influence the body’s “ acid load”. Most of us have a dangerously high acid load.

PH-balance has everything to do with one’s organ health and overall health. As a matter of fact, research shows that to stay disease-free we must maintain pH-balance within the body.

Kidneys and PH Balancing

Inside our kidneys are millions of microscopic structures, called glomeruli. [A single glomerulus is composed of many small blood vessels, resembling a glomus (ball of thread.) Their job is to filter toxins and balance the pH or acid load of our blood. When you can no longer balance the pH (acid load) of your blood you can die.

So, the kidneys are extremely important in keeping you alive and healthy.

Doctors can test your glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as a way of measuring the health and efficiency of your kidneys.

When the filtration rate (GFR) of your kidneys goes below the mid-line (60) you are considered to have kidney disease. 

Things That Increase (Worsen) the Acid Load:

• Dehydration
• Excess meat, eggs, dairy
• Excess grains
• Soft drinks
• Junk food
• Coffee/tea
• Extra salt in the diet
• Smoking
• Excess alcohol
• High blood pressure (good kidney function and blood pressure are supportive of each other)
• High blood sugar
• Overeating
• Obesity

Things That Decrease the Acid Load or Improve Your PH Balance:

• Eating healthily
• Fruits in moderation
• Vegetables
• Bicarbonate
• Exercise
• Staying hydrated
• Alkaline Ionized Water

How the Kidneys Become Damaged

It is the job of the kidney to maintain pH-balance in the body. The kidneys do this by neutralizing acids and/or excreting them from the fluids of the body.

The kidneys lose their ability to pH-balance the body as a consequence of damages over time from a sustained high dietary acid load. Anyone who does not maintain their dietary acid/base load at a balance risks chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the 9 ^th Leading cause of death in the US. More people die of kidney disease than breast cancer or prostate cancer. It affects 15% of adults in the United States, yet most of these who have it don’t know it until it has reached later stages.

The Role of Alkaline Ionized Water to a Healthy PH-Balance in the Body, the Kidneys and All Organs

Alkaline ionized water has been studied by scientists, doctors and nutritionists, and much research shows that alkaline ionized water has a positive influence on the healthy pH-balancing of the body and is protective of the kidneys and other organs. See links at the end of this post.

Alkaline ionized water does several things to help maintain a healthy pH-balance in the body.

• Hydrates Body: Ionized water is more hydrating than any other type of water.
• PH-Balance: The alkalinity in ionized water has a protective influence on the body, cells and organs. 
• Natural Antioxidants: Help repair damage to cells and organs from free-radical damage.

Ionized water does not have calories and does not require going through a process of digestion to enter and help balance the pH and oxidative stresses of the body.  

Alkaline ionized water does not replace the need to eat a pH-balanced diet. But it compliments it, and it helps to alleviate the acid load of the kidneys. It is an integral part of what I do and have done to help maintain my great health-levels for the past 25 years. See my testimonial.

The Downward Spiral of Kidney Damage Over Time

There is a cycle of decay of the kidneys that is caused initially by excess acid load in the diet. But then after that the body can easily slip into a spiraling loss of kidney function and loss of function for all other organs.

• Initial damage of the kidney occurs (caused by overly acidic load)
• MOST PEOPLE DO NOT NOTICE THIS DAMAGE
• A damaged kidney now has a lesser ability to filter out acids. 
• The kidneys’ diminished ability to filter out acids causes further damage to the kidney
• Continuing to consume a high dietary acid load prompts further damage to the kidney
• Remember, the kidney is responsible for balancing the pH of the whole body. If it's damaged all of your organs can suffer. Other organs become damaged because the kidney fails to maintain a proper pH-balance in the body

Studies have shown that managing and controlling the acid load of the body can help to ward off or prevent damage to the kidney in the first place, or arrest of further damage the cycle has already begun.

Once actual damage has been done, it is uncertain that the kidney can ever fully repair itself. So, it is important to know about acid load and its influence on kidney health at an early age.

There are several “Stages” of CKD (chronic kidney disease). The further on a person goes, to higher stages, the less likely it is for them to arrest and reverse the damages done to the kidney.

Importance of Maintaining a Healthy PH-Balance in the Body

Every organ and cell in the body relies on a healthy pH-balance in the body. Though it is the kidney’s function to do this automatically for us, it is not something that can be taken for granted. Statistics show that our kidneys will not necessarily go on forever balancing our body’s pH unless we are proactive with managing our dietary acid load.

Damage, more damage, and further damage to the kidneys can be expected as time goes on because of the inability of the kidneys to filter out enough acids if we continue to ignore and not actively bring down high dietary acid loads.

After other organs, which rely on maintaining a pH-balance within the body become damaged, their inability to function comes back and hits the kidneys with more damage. Example: You can see this in the adverse effect that high blood pressure has on the kidneys. This can and does become a vicious downward spiral: greater and greater damage to the kidneys and other organs causing more damage to each other and so on.

Monitoring the GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate)

The glomerulus is a structure within the kidney that filters. The rate of glomerular filtration is important to maintaining pH-balance within the body. This rate can be measured in a blood test. If it falls too low, it’s considered abnormal and could indicate chronic kidney disease.

It is a good idea to get a “Complete Metabolic Panel” yearly, which, among other things, will keep you abreast of how well your kidneys are functioning. But it is unwise to wait for an “abnormal” result before taking preventative action. You can do something about your acid load now and thank yourself later. 

References

• (1) Ionized alkaline water: new strategy for management of metabolic acidosis in experimental animals • Ionized alkaline water has been shown to help in the management of metabolic acidosis and kidney function for experimental animals (dogs and rats). “Alkaline ionized water can be considered as a major safe strategy in the management of metabolic acidosis secondary to renal failure or dialysis or urinary diversion. Human studies are indicated in the near future to confirm this issue in humans.” 
• (2) Reducing the Dietary Acid Load: How a More Alkaline Diet Benefits Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease • Excess dietary acid damages the kidney. 
• (4) One of the major influencers on the likelihood of developing CKD is the level of acidity in the diet.
• (5) The study found that the higher the acidity, the quicker the progression of the kidney disease.
• (6) Animal study shows alkaline ionized water is protective of the kidneys.