Does the alkaline diet work?

The alkaline diet, also called the alkaline-ash diet or alkaline-acid diet, which is based on the unproven claim that eating foods with a higher pH (i.e. more alkaline such as fruit, unsweetened fruit juices, nonstarchy vegetables, almond milk, mineral soda water, soy foods and almonds) will help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer.

Proponents of the alkaline diet believe that diets high in certain foods, such as meat and grains, and low in others, such as potassium-rich vegetables and fruits, can cause imbalances in blood pH that lead to a variety of health problems, known as the acid-ash hypothesis.

But the alkaline diet has not been scientifically proven to have any effect on the body’s pH, but its focus on plant-based foods can be good for health in general as it reduces a person’s consumption of fatty and processed meats, red meat and refined grains while encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables, unprocessed plant-based foods.

An alkaline diet tends to be low in calories and so the foods that people eat on this diet can help lose weight and maintain a healthy body weight. Doing so can help prevent weight-related health issues such as diabetes.

As it also reduces or eliminates red and processed meats, removing a major contributor to heart disease from the diet.