On 7/27/06, Marilyn Harris <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Hi Keith;
>
> I think we are in agreement - what I was saying is that it doesn't matter
> if
> you eat a high or low acid range of foods: the body will balance it out by
> various means of homeostatis once the nutrients enter the bloodstream.
>
> Marilyn
>
>
Hi Marilyn,

But the real point is *how* the body balances the net effects of an acidic
or alkali ash diet.  If the kidneys must resort to using the bones carbonate
stores to accomplish this neutrality (i.e urine pH no lower than 4, blood pH
appx neutral), then (as the theory goes) over time bone density is
compromised.  Research has shown that the SAD provides a net daily acidic
load (grains, dairy, meat, salt, etc..) while hunter-gatherer diets probably
provide a net alkaline load.

I do think there is validity to this argument, but like all things
associated with diet, it is just one piece of the puzzle.  I'd like to see
some data on eldery Innuit bone density prior to Westernization; good bone
health in this population might dispel the acid/base theory or provide
evidence that the Innuit have genetically adjusted to an all-meat (acid ash)
diet.

Best,
Paul