pH Factor Health Concerns

The importance of the body's pH balance to overall health is being recognized by an increasing number of health professionals from both the traditional and alternative medical world. On this web page, I'm going to introduce the concepts of pH and pH factor health issues.

What is pH?

pH means potential of Hydrogen, a measurement of the activity of hydrogen ions (H⁺) in a solution. pH is calculated as the negative logarithm of the effective concentration of hydrogen ion in moles per liter: pH = -log (H⁺). Therefore, pH is a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution.

pH was abbreviated from pondus Hydrogenii. The formula for pH was originally defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration, i.e.: pH = -log [H+]. Later, it was found that the activity (or the effective concentration) rather than the molar concentration of the hydrogen ion is more correctly reflected by the pH scale, but the name pH, however, remains.

In dilute solutions, pH = -log (H⁺) can be replaced by pH = -log [H⁺] in calculating the pH value.

What is the pH of Water

Water's molecular formula is H₂O. As water is a weak electrolyte, it will ionizes slightly to form equal amount of hydrogen ions (H⁺) and hydroxide ions (OH^-). In pure water the concentration of hydrogen ions is equal to 0.0000001, or 10^-7 moles per liter.

Applying to the formula of pH = -log [H⁺], we then have the pH value of pure water :

Therefore, pH value of 7.0 is considered pH neutral; whereas pH values below 7 is acidic and pH value above 7 is alkaline.

In laboratories, the pH value of "pure water" is usually measured at pH5.6 due to the absorption of CO₂ from air into the water, forming a week acid: Carbonic Acid (H₂CO₃ ):

To answer the question of "What is pH in water?": the pH value of water (pure water) is supposed to be pH7.0, but in laboratory practice the pH value of water (pure) generally registers around pH5.6.

The pH value of drinking water should fall in the range of pH6.5-9.5.

What is pH Scale?

According to the pH value calculation formula: pH = -log (H⁺), when the H⁺ ion concentration (or more accurately, activity of the ion) is increased in a solution, the pH value will decrease; whereas when the H⁺ concentration is decreased, the pH value of the solution will increase.

The range of pH value of a solution will be from 0 to 14 and this range of pH value is called the pH Scale - Answer to the question of "What is the pH scale?.

On the pH scale, pH value of 0 is extreme acidic whereas pH value of 14 is extreme alkaline. Each unit on the pH scale represents 10 times' difference in H⁺ ion concentration. pH paper is used for measuring pH values.

What is pH Paper Used For?

pH paper is used for roughly measuring the pH value of a solution.

What is pH Value?

pH values has the same meaning as pH levels. They are the measurement of acidity of a solution. Please refer to What is pH Scale? for more details.

What is pH Level?

Please refer to What is pH Value?

pH Factor Health Concerns

What is pH Factor?

In short, pH factor means the effects of acidity (pH) on your body.

pH, Oxygen Transportation

The pH of blood is normally at about pH7.4. In case of pH imbalance, if the pH value of blood is too high, alkalosis occurs; whereas when the pH of blood is too low, acidosis happens.

pH plays am important rule in the oxygen transportation from lungs to the muscles. The oxygen carrier is hemoglobin (Hb) in red cells. Hemoglobin (haemoglobin) is a protein that consists of four polypeptide chains, each contains a heme group that has a iron atom. It is the iron atom in the heme group that gives the blood red color.

The affinity of hemoglobin to oxygen is effected by the pH of blood. In the lungs, where the pH value is high (pH7.4) and the partial pressure of oxygen is high (about 100 mm Hg), the hemoglobin affinity for oxygen is high, the following dynamic equilibrium is to the left side:

HbH⁺ + O₂ ==> HbO₂ + H⁺

As a result, oxygen is bound to hemoglobin and hydrogen ion is released.

In the tissues, where the where the pH value is low (due to CO₂ from respiration) and the partial pressure of oxygen is low (about 45 mm Hg), the hemoglobin affinity for oxygen is low and thus the carried oxygen is released. The following dynamic equilibrium moves to the right side:

Along with the releasing of O₂, hydrogen ions are bound to the hemoglobin, thus hemoglobin also plays am important function of regulating the pH value of blood.

pH, Protein Structure & Functions

Hemoglobin is just one of example of the effect of pH on proteins. Proteins are very important to our health, not only because they are one of the main components of cells, but also because they are the biological catalyst (enzymes) for all biochemical reactions.

The biochemical activities the majority enzymes are affected by pH. Most of the animal enzymes' optimum pH are between pH6-8. Optimum pH is the pH value at which the activity of a enzyme is greatest.

pH and Food

The food we eat will affects our body's pH. Diet that we take in to our body can not be completely metabolized and utilized by our body. The undigested metabolite may then produce acidic or alkaline potential in our body; thus we group our diets into acid-forming foods and alkaline-forming foods.

What is an Acid-Forming Food: an acid-forming food is food whose metabolite produce an acidic potential in the body.

High protein foods such as meats, fishes & other marine animals and eggs are acid-forming foods; others acid-forming diets include carbohydrate foods (grains), coffee, tea, liquor and hard cheese.

What is an Alkaline-Forming Food: an alkaline-forming food is food whose metabolite produce an alkaline potential in the body.

Alkaline-forming foods include most vegetables and fruits.

pH and Health

When the toxic acidic metabolites accumulate in the blood system, they create an acidic environment in the bloodstream. Excess acid in the blood underlies all diseases as bacteria and viruses thrive in acidity. Bacteria and viruses also flourish in low oxygen levels that come with acidity.

Matol Km: the Alkaline Booster

The purpose of Matol/Km has always been to help cleansing the acid waste or toxins from the blood stream. As it turns out, Matol/Km maybe the most potent "Alkaline Booster".

For more information on Matol Km.