pH Balance & the Mineral Connection

Although high acidity may not be outwardly noticeable, it can severely affect overall health in a negative way. Alkalinity in the body is a rarer situation but just as potentially serious. It often takes longer for a person who is over "alkaline" to achieve balance than one who is "acidic." 

Minerals buffer acids - A recent study conducted at the University of California-San Francisco on 9,704 postmenopausal women showed that those who have higher acidity levels (also called chronic acidosis) from a diet rich in animal foods are at greater risk for lower bone density levels than those who have "normal" pH levels. The researchers who carried out this study hypothesized that many of the hip fractures relevant among older women correlated to higher acidity from a diet rich in animal foods and low in vegetables. The body apparently borrows calcium from the bones in order to balance pH, and this calcium borrowing may result in a decrease in bone density (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Jan. 2001, Vol. 73, No.1, pp. 118-122). 

Minerals have different pH levels at which they can be assimilated into the body. Minerals on the lower end of the atomic scale can be assimilated in a wider pH range, and minerals higher up on the scale require a narrower and narrower pH range in order to be assimilated by the body. 

For example: Sodium and magnesium have wide pH assimilation ranges. It narrows somewhat for calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and iron, etc. 

Iodine, which is high up on the atomic scale, requires near perfect pH for its assimilation into the body. Iodine you may know is one of the most important minerals for proper functioning of the thyroid, however the thyroid cannot access iodine unless the body pH is near perfect. This is one reason we are strong advocates for the nascent form of iodine as it is in the perfect form required for uptake by the thyroid. 

Minerals are coenzymes which help vitamins function. In the absence of minerals, vitamins can't do their job. Many minerals are referred to as trace minerals, which might seem as though they are not significant but nothing could be further from the truth. Minerals and their deficiencies have been directly related to a wide range of adverse health conditions. 

Here are some examples: 

Magnesium is quite possibly the most important mineral for the reduction of coronary heart disease. (The latest "cutting edge" research shows that heart disease is really a function of heart muscle acidosis.) Also, magnesium helps conduct electrical messages between all the neurons of the body. Boron is a vital trace mineral that is required for the normal growth and health of the body. Many conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis are naturally managed by Boron as it is known to improve the absorption of calcium and magnesium. It helps women preserve and make oestrogens plus reduces menopausal symptoms. It helps men keep testosterone. 

Copper is another vital trace mineral, a component of many enzymes, including ones necessary for formation of red blood cells and deficiency is implicated in aneurysms (brain, aortic, etc.). It also provides an antioxidant action, to help protect cells against free radical damage. 

Potassium and magnesium (along with organic sodium) are some of the most important minerals for rebalancing the electrical properties of the cell, for eliminating excess acidity, and for helping to balance calcium. People get irrational when potassium levels are low. 

Rubidium is an alkaline trace mineral related with caesium and Rubidium has been investigated for its antidepressant effect. The typical daily dietary intake of rubidium is 1 to 5 mg. Foods high in rubidium include coffee, black tea, fruits, vegetables (especially asparagus), poultry and fish. Rubidium is a relatively non-toxic element and has not shown to be of toxicological concern from the nutritional point of view. 

Sulphur is stored in every cell in the body, with the highest concentrations being in the joints, hair, skin, and nails. As part of four amino acids, sulphur performs a number of functions in enzyme reactions and protein synthesis. It is necessary for formation of collagen, the protein found in connective tissue in our bodies and is crucial to cellular respiration as it is needed in the oxidation-reduction reactions that help the cells utilize oxygen, which aids brain function and all cell activity. 

Selenium is an essential mineral found in minute amounts in the body. It is one of the essential body substances that can be used in a preventive manner for many diseases, including cancer, arteriosclerosis, stroke, cirrhosis, arthritis and emphysema. 

Zinc is an essential trace mineral occurring in the body in larger amounts than any other trace element except iron. Zinc is involved in over 200 brain enzyme interactions. Deficiency symptoms include loss of taste and smell. 

Manganese plays an important role, as an antioxidant, in the prevention of toxic oxygen forms. It may play a part in the degenerative process called aging. It also plays a role in activating numerous enzymes that are necessary for utilization of choline, biotin, thiamine and Vitamin C complex. It is a catalyst in the synthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol and mucopolysaccharides. 

Vanadium is a trace mineral that is needed by the human body in small amounts. Supplementing a diet with sufficient chromium and vanadium can help prevent diabetes and has been seen to reverse diabetes in those already diabetic, as vanadium is reportedly able to replace insulin in some cases. 

Your body is able to assimilate minerals and nutrients properly only when its pH is balanced. It is therefore possible for you to be taking healthy nutrients and yet be unable to absorb or use them. If you are not getting the results you expected from your nutritional or herbal program, look for an acid alkaline imbalance. 

Even the right herbal program may not work if your body's pH is out of balance.