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Dietary acid load in health and disease

2024/01/29 by Michiel L. A. J. Wieërs, Beverley Beynon-Cobb, Wesley J. Visser +1 · 20 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Medicine · #Acidosis #Amino acid #Bicarbonate #Biochemistry #Biology #Chemistry #Climate Change and Health Impacts #Disease #Endocrinology #Food science #Internal medicine #Ion Transport and Channel Regulation #Kidney disease #Medicine #Metabolic acidosis #Obesity #Physiology #Renal function and acid-base balance

paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s00424-024-02910-7

openalex created_date 2024/01/29 · openalex publication_date 2024/01/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Maintaining an appropriate acid-base equilibrium is crucial for human health. A primary influencer of this equilibrium is diet, as foods are metabolized into non-volatile acids or bases. Dietary acid load (DAL) is a measure of the acid load derived from diet, taking into account both the potential renal acid load (PRAL) from food components like protein, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium, and the organic acids from foods, which are metabolized to bicarbonate and thus have an alkalinizing effect. Current Western diets are characterized by a high DAL, due to large amounts of animal protein and processed foods. A chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis can occur following a Western diet and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Nutritional advice focusing on DAL, rather than macronutrients, is gaining rapid attention as it provides a more holistic approach to managing health. However, current evidence for the role of DAL is mainly associative, and underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This review focusses on the role of DAL in multiple conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular health, impaired kidney function, and cancer.

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