As the ketogenic diet continues to ride its wave of popularity, many detractors are bound to bring up plenty of accusations. One of which is that a ketogenic diet can be too “acidic” for the body. Just out of curiosity, I dug deep into the research and found the answers to debunk this belief. Curious to see what I found? Read on.

First thing’s first. The concept of maintaining an optimal pH balance- which most people say is about being almost completely alkaline- has been debunked numerous times. As the theory goes, our diet can either make us acidic and prone to disease or alkaline and healthy. Furthermore, specific foods are either pro-acid or pro-alkaline. On the acidic side, foods like meat, dairy, and eggs are all said to promote an acid pH, and foods like vegetables and fruits are all said to promote an alkaline pH. Thus, a pro-alkaline diet is recommended across the board to prevent us from becoming acidic and unhealthy. But is there any truth to this?
Absolutely not!

On paper, an alkaline diet is said to prevent cancer because cancer cells thrive in an acidic (or low pH) environment, but not in an alkaline (or high pH) one. The problem is that much of this theory is based on cells studied in a lab. To actually study whether or not this can work in living, breathing human beings is impossible. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), “While proponents of this myth argue avoiding certain foods and eating others can change the body’s pH level, these claims stand in stark contrast to everything research shows about the chemistry of the human body.
“Acid-base balance is tightly regulated by several mechanisms, among them being kidney and respiratory functions. Even the slightest changes to your body’s pH are life-threatening events. Patients with kidney disease and pulmonary dysfunction, for example, often rely on dialysis machines and mechanical ventilators (respectively) to avoid even the smallest disruption of acid-base balance. Home ‘test kits’, measure the pH of urine, do not relay information about the body’s pH level. Foods, drinks, and supplements will affect the acidity or alkalinity of urine, but it is the only fluid that is affected. In fact, excess acid or base is excreted in the urine to help maintain proper pH balance in the body.” [1]
In other words, our body already maintains an optimal pH balance thanks to many things, including our kidneys and respiratory system. So while eating an alkaline diet is certainly healthy, it’s not because it “balances” our pH!

But let’s get onto whether or not a ketogenic diet truly is as dangerously acidic as the pH-diet lovers claim to be! We’re playing devil’s advocate here, after all.

As it turns out, there’s a recent study that actually looked into whether or not keto can affect pH. And here’s what the results showed:
After measuring the blood pH of twenty participants that followed the ketogenic diet for four months, the researchers found no significant clinical or statistical changes. The participants’ results were even compared to those from patients who’d suffered an episodic attack of the (very real, and dangerous) diabetic-induced-ketoacidosis, and still were considered to be safe. As the study concludes, “Hence the VLCK [very low carb ketogenic] diet can be considered as a safe nutritional intervention for the treatment of obesity in terms of acid-base equilibrium. Apart from ketosis both in this clinical trial and in real life situations all the relevant biochemical parameters were not significantly altered by the VLCK dieting.”

So there you have it. Don’t be afraid of keto! And please do not give in to the fallacies of acid and alkaline dieting. Our body is far more complex than some people make them out to be! And keto does not mean forever. I go in and out depending on where my body’s at, my goals, and whether or not I’ve had one too many indulgences and need a nutritional ‘reset’. For you, a month or two of keto on occasion is fine; for someone else, it could be longer. It’s going to differ from person to person. But no matter what, don’t let pH deter you from giving it a try. You’d be potentially missing out on so many health benefits!

Speaking of which, if you haven’t yet tried my ketogenic meal plan, then what are you waiting for? Not only are all your meals planned out for you, I also provide a shopping list and comprehensive PDF filled with all the research, myth-busting, and history of the ketogenic diet. It is FAR from being a fad, and I and many people at the ZGYM have loved the benefits.

Sources:
[1] http://www.aicr.org/patients-survivors/healthy-or-harmful/alkaline-diets.html
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5608861/