Alkaline Diet - Just Hot Air?

The alkaline diet is often promoted as a solution for weight problems, tiredness, and many other health problems that plague our modern world. If you've heard these claims, you are probably interested in the alkaline diet, but not completely convinced that it's all it is purported to be. In this article, I want to briefly address these concerns so that you can make the best choice for your lifestyle.

First, let's talk about what kind of evidence for the alkaline diet we want to see before we make up our minds. As compelling as they may be, personal success stories are not enough. After all, there are people out there singing the praises of every diet on the market, from low-carb to high-carb. No, what we want is well-designed scientific research conducted by impartial experts. Is there any such research on the alkaline diet?

The answer is yes. Although I don't have enough room to go into them here in detail, there have been a number of studies which support the benefits of the alkaline diet for preventing osteoporosis and muscle wasting, as well as for reducing the discomfort associated with chronic low back pain and rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers also have good reason to believe that an alkaline diet can be helpful for improving energy levels, preserving kidney function, and preventing kidney stones.

What about the safety of the alkaline diet? This is obviously an important concern. No matter what the benefits are claimed for a diet, you do not want to take the risk of causing serious damage to your health by following an extreme dietary regimen. Well, the good news about the alkaline diet is that it is not an extreme fad diet. For most people, it is a safe and effective nutritional approach.