Supplement Performance - The pH Theory of Health and Acid/Alkaline Diets

 By Robbie Durand, M.A.

Senior Science Editor

“We have become too full of acid and, as a result, are experiencing a wide range of diseases that flourish in the acid medium.” —Dr. Mary Ruth Swope, in Green Leaves of Barley

A heated controversy that questioned the truth about alkaline water erupted on the Musculardevelopment.com forums a few months after the video “A Day In the Life” with Evan Centopani aired on the website. The important question for bodybuilders is, does drinking alkaline water have any validity? Evan stated that since using a water ionizer and drinking alkaline water to increase blood alkalinity, he was sleeping better, had better hydration, and just felt healthier overall. Let’s examine some of the health consequences of having acidic pH, and its role in health.

Acidity and alkalinity are measured by the pH scale, which goes from 0 to 14— 7 is neutral, lower numbers indicate increasing acidity, and higher numbers indicate alkalinity. There are several ways that the body keeps its acid balance in the normal range. Acid is excreted by the kidneys, and is also reduced via exhalation of carbon dioxide. And most important, as far as bone health goes, the body buffers the blood (that is, neutralizes acidity in it) by releasing calcium compounds, which are alkaline.

Interestingly, a mild but progressive metabolic acidosis occurs when people eat acid-producing diets (e.g., diets relatively rich in meat and cereal grains, compared to the fruit and vegetable content). It’s not that meat is acidic, but rather that it contains acid-forming compounds, such as amino acids and phosphorus. Chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis has been linked with health issues such as increased cardiometabolic risk factors, increased risk of developing osteoporosis, and loss of lean body mass in older adults.

 Since most bodybuilders consume an acid-rich diet because of their high protein intake, they would more than likely be on the mildly acidic pH side. Oral administration of bicarbonate (i.e., baking soda) increases blood pH and makes the blood more alkaline (makes the blood more basic) in a dose-related manner in healthy adults, both at rest and during exercise.² However, too large of a dose of baking soda can make you go running for the bathroom, in addition to causing severe gastrointestinal stress!

Acidity and Nitrogen Balance

It has also been shown that having high blood acidity is not conducive for maintaining a positive nitrogen balance. A study from Tufts University examined 162 older adults, who consumed either a treatment with potassium bicarbonate or a placebo. Remember that bicarbonates reduce blood acidity and promote a more alkaline environment. Interestingly, after three months of supplementation, only the bicarbonate group experienced a change in acid production. Reduced acid production resulted in less nitrogen excretion (greater protein retention) in men— and the amount of acid being excreted was positively correlated with how much nitrogen was lost.¹ Although nitrogen excretion is not a specific indicator of muscle breakdown, in the setting of stable protein intake, exercise level, and bodyweight, a decrease in nitrogen excretion is consistent with decreased net muscle catabolism.³ Treatment with bicarbonate significantly lowered nitrogen excretion. Therefore, using a blood buffer such as potassium bicarbonate may be a way to reduce muscle tissue breakdown.

So what if your body is slightly acidic? Is it really going to affect muscle protein kinetics? When your pH is in an acidic environment, muscle breakdown occurs— and amino acids are released into the bloodstream and provide substrate for the hepatic synthesis of glutamine. Glutamine is used by the kidneys to synthesize ammonia. Glutamine acts as a blood buffer when pH is acidic, by being removed from muscle.⁴ So you are losing glutamine from muscle when your body is in an acidic environment. Keeping an alkaline balance is good for overall health and muscle, but most water ionizers cost over $1,000.  

So What if You Don’t Have a $1,000 to Purchase A Water Ionizer?

A recent study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reported that mineral water might be an alternative to purchasing a water ionizer. Mineral waters, especially those with high concentrations of calcium and bicarbonate, can increase alkalinity.⁸ In fact, it has been suggested that the purposeful consumption of mineral water represents one of the most practical means for increasing the nutritional alkali load to the body.⁶

There is some evidence that drinking alkaline water can enhance performance, as when cyclists were reported to hydrate faster when they consumed a proprietary blend mineral water called Alka-Plex™, compared to a non-mineralized water.⁷ Alka-Plex is a freely dissolvable form of a patented blend of mineral-based alkalizing ingredients called Alka-Plex granules. Alka-Plex-based products contain a considerable amount of calcium carbonate, potassium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, and potassium chloride.

In the most recent study of Alka-Plex water, college subjects consumed either Aquafina bottled water or Alka-Plex, and were told to not change their diet, exercise, or drinking habits. Those who drank Alka-Plex raised their blood alkalinity and had greater hydration status, compared to those who drank regular bottled water. The results of this study suggest that regular consumption of mineral-rich Alka-Plex water can have measurable influences on markers for acid-base balance and hydration status, when consumed under free-living conditions.

Considering the massive amount of protein and acid-forming drugs that bodybuilders take, consuming an alkaline-based mineral water like Alka-Plex may reduce the harmful effects of blood acidity of high-protein diets, and increase cell hydration and promote health. Additionally, consuming alkaline-rich foods may be as conducive for health.⁵

Please box near end of text… thanks.

Alkaline-Rich Foods

Some of the more potent alkaline fruits:

Raisins -21.0

Black Currants -6.5

Bananas -5.5

Apricots -4.8

Vegetables:

Spinach -14.0

Celery -5.2

Carrots -4.9

Lettuce -2.5

References:

1. Frassetto LA, Morris RC Jr, Sebastian A (1996). Effect of age on blood acid-base composition in adult humans: role of age-related renal functional decline. Am J Physiol, 271:t-22.

2. Douroudos II, Fatouros IG, Gourgoulis V, Jamurtas AZ, Tsitsios T, Hatzinikolaou A, Margonis K, Mavromatidis K, Taxildaris K (2006). Dose-related effects of prolonged NaHCO3 ingestion during high-intensity exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 38:1746-1753.

3. May RC, Kelly RA, Mitch WE (1986). Metabolic acidosis stimulates protein degredation in rat muscle by glucocorticoid dependent mechanism. J Clin Invest, 77:614-621.

4. Cersosimo E, Williams PE, Radosevich PM, Hoxworth BT, Lacy WW, Abumrad NN (1986). Role of glutamine in adaptations in nitrogen metabolism during fasting. Am J Physiol, 250:E622-E628.

5. Remer T and Manz F. 1995. Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 95 (7): 791-797.

6. Burckhardt P: The effect of the alkali load of mineral water on bone metabolism: Interventional studies. J Nutr 2008, 138:435S-437S.

7. Heil DP, Seifert J. Influence of bottled water on rehydration following a dehydrating bout of cycling exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nut, 2009.

8. Heil DP. Acid-base balance and hydration status following consumption of mineral-based alkaline bottled water. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2010 Sep 13;7(1):29.

AST Sports Science VP2 Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Enhances Muscle Recuperation

Muscle hypertrophy can only occur when muscle protein synthesis exceeds protein breakdown for a prolonged period of time. Protein breakdown is stimulated to a greater extent than protein synthesis following resistance exercise. Therefore, if you neglect to take a pre- or post-workout protein shake, the absence of food intake after resistance exercise will result in a negative nitrogen balance. Nutrient timing of protein is not just important, but essential for muscle hypertrophy.

Whey protein has been the “gold standard” supplement of choice for increasing muscle hypertrophy. Many the top protein synthesis researchers recommend consumption of whey protein— both pre- and post-exercise— for optimal gains in muscle hypertrophy. One study demonstrated that consumption of a whey protein shake pre- and post-exercise resulted in a gain in lean muscle mass that was almost double that of a control group.⁴

Many bodybuilders may think the anabolic properties of whey protein are only due to its high essential amino acid (EAA) content, but researchers recently reported that whey protein has greater anabolic effects than EAAs, when compared dose-per-dose. The study reported that EAAs are not solely responsible for the anabolic properties of whey protein. The researchers concluded that (whole) whey protein consumption is greater than the sum of its parts (EAAs) or effects, beyond just the amino acid content. The researchers hypothesized that the increase in the plasma concentration of the amino acid cysteine from whey protein, which has previously been found to augment muscle protein anabolism, may have enhanced muscle protein synthesis.¹ So whey protein has added benefits for increasing muscle nitrogen, over amino acids alone.

The anabolic properties of whey protein are thought to be mediated by its ability to provide a quick delivery of amino acids to muscle, which can enhance muscle hypertrophy and strength. In a previous study of resistance-trained males who were randomly matched for strength, one group completed a fully supervised, 10-week resistance exercise program and consumed whey protein isolates immediately before and after resistance exercise. The second group consumed the same dose of the same supplement in the morning and late evening— at least four to five hours outside of training. Not only did the group consuming whey protein isolates make greater gains in muscle mass, but they also demonstrated greater improvements in 1-repetition maximum strength— which were supported by a greater increase in hypertrophy of the type II fibers and muscle contractile protein content in this group.²

In a recent study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, researchers reported that consuming AST Sports Science VP2 Hydrolyzed Whey Protein immediately after eccentric exercise enhances muscle recuperation.³ Subjects performed 4 sets of 10 repetitions of eccentric exercise, with 120 percent of their maximal 1-repetition maximum, doing leg curls and leg extensions. After the grueling workout, subjects consumed either 1.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight per day of AST Sports Science VP2 Hydrolyzed Whey Protein or a carbohydrate beverage. ~30 grams was consumed immediately after training, and then with breakfast, lunch, in the afternoon and after the evening meal— for a period of 14 days following a unilateral eccentric contraction-based resistance exercise session.

At the end of the study, subjects who consumed AST Sports Science VP2 Hydrolyzed Whey Protein immediately after eccentric exercise had enhanced muscle recuperation, compared to the control group. The authors speculated that the increased protein synthesis due to the enhanced EAA content in whey protein enhanced muscle recovery. Interestingly, LDH— which is a marker of muscle damage— was lower after VP2 Hydrolyzed Whey Protein consumption, indicating enhanced muscle recuperation and remodeling. Consuming AST Sports Science VP2 Hydrolyzed Whey Protein can help bodybuilders recuperate from intense exercise and enhance muscle gains and strength.

References:

1. Katsanos Christos S, Chinkes David L, Paddon-Jones Douglas, Zhang Xiao-jun, Aarsland Asle,. Wolfe Robert R. Amino Acids Whey protein ingestion in elderly persons results in greater muscle protein accrual than ingestion of its constituent essential amino acid content. Nutr Res, Volume 28, 2008. Pages 651-65.

2. Cribb PJ, Hayes A. Effect of supplement-timing and resistance training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2006; 38:1918-1925.

3. Cooke MB, Rybalka E, Stathis CG, Cribb PJ, Hayes A. Whey protein isolate attenuates strength decline after eccentrically-induced muscle damage in healthy individuals. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2010 Sep 22;7(1):30.

4. Cribb PJ, Williams AD, Stathis CG, Carey MF, Hayes A: Effects of whey isolate, creatine, and resistance training on muscle hypertrophy. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2007, 39:298-307.