In nutritionists there is often talk of the "acidic body" that is prone to diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Acid-base cures are supposed to help.
- The lifestyle industry is booming. In the field of wellness and health, too, new trends are constantly floating on the market, including diets.
- Acid-base cures have long been touted in nutrition guides because of their promised health-promoting effects.
- But what is it about the theory that you have to deacidify your body?
Acid-base treatment: Medically speaking, healthy people do not need to deacidify regularly
There are actually foods that make up predominantly acidic compounds in the body . These include cheese, meat, bread and coffee. If, on the other hand, fruits, nuts, herbs and vegetables are metabolized, basic compounds are formed. But what does that mean in practice?
It has long been suspected that people who eat predominantly "sour" diets favor the development of diseases. Over-acidification - also known as acidosis - is associated with increased blood pressure and inflammation levels *, the development of diabetes, obesity or other diseases . If a person has a balanced diet and the metabolism works normally, a healthy body can compensate for an acid-base imbalance without problems.
The body of healthy people is therefore very well able to maintain a healthy acid-base balance even without expensive purification and acid-base cures. From a medical point of view, there is no need to deacidify the body regularly. The science magazine Quarks quotes the doctor Roswitha Siener, who points out in the magazine Ernahrungumschau that the propagated "purifying" and "detoxifying" effect of various fasting methods, such as alkaline or therapeutic fasting, cannot be scientifically justified. And the German Nutrition Society (DGE) also advises against completely avoiding acid-forming foods: " Because vital nutrients could be supplied in too small amounts in the long term, the DGE advises against long-term alkaline fasting, " says the institute.There would simply be a lack of scientific evidence to what extent alkaline fasting actually has benefits.
Also read : Detoxifying the liver without much effort: This cure has an ingenious side effect .
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Acid-base treatment: "Studies that suggest that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is better for us"
In general, however, a healthy and balanced diet has been shown to prevent many diseases - including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Those who have a predominantly plant-based diet * - i.e. those who rarely eat acidic products such as meat, sausage or other animal products such as cheese - actually have a lower risk of certain kidney stones than someone whose diet is more acidic. And with regard to the development of high blood pressure * and thus heart attack or stroke, a predominantly alkaline diet - as it is also described in the current dietary recommendations - has a protective effect . Bone health and cholesterol levels should also benefit from an alkaline diet. However, there is no definitive evidence from long-term intervention studies, as Quarks reported.
According to the current state of knowledge, a cure with alkaline foods is superfluous for people who have a balanced diet. The same applies to detox cures - against the background that there is no evidence of the existence of waste products. A balanced diet primarily includes plant-based foods : "There are enough studies to suggest that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is better for us than one that consists primarily of meat products and the like," says nutritionist Thomas Remer .
Read more : Mediterranean Diet: Why you should switch to the Mediterranean diet immediately.
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