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It is a phenomenon that occurs to all people, regardless of race, age or sex.
The alkaline tide results in a drop in energy caused by excess bicarbonate production in the blood . It can last from 5 minutes to 2 hours.
Scientists use the term alkaline tide to refer to the phenomena of increased alkalinity in urine and in the level of hydrogen in the blood (pH) after eating.
The physiological effects of the tide are experienced when stomach acid, released to aid in the digestion of food, enters the stomach.
The increase in pH in the blood is a temporary effect, as it will only occur until the acid from the food in the small intestine combines with the bicarbonate, which is produced while the food is present in the stomach.
When you vomit, the body produces extra stomach acid to replace that lost during expulsion. Due to this replacement effect, prolonged periods of vomiting can lead to a more pronounced alkaline tidal effect.
The parietal cells present in the stomach and gastrointestinal system actually cause the alkaline tide. When these cells become hyperactive due to overstimulation, increased acid excretion raises the pH level.
An extensive network, specifically designed for secretion and known as canaliculi, is present in each parietal cell. It is through these canaliculi that gastric acid is delivered to the stomach.
Acid is transported to the stomach via the enzyme hydrogen and potassium ATPase. This enzyme is unique and specific for parietal cells, and it transports acid in a concentration of approximately one part in every three million.
During the digestive process, hydrochloric acid is formed through the combination of hydrogen and chloride ions.
Parietal cells in the stomach extract chloride, sodium, water, and carbon dioxide, replacing them with bicarbonate to maintain the electrical balance of the plasma.
It is this level of bicarbonate that causes the blood that leaves the stomach, known as venous, to have a higher alkalinity than the arterial blood that enters the stomach.
The alkaline tide occurs when cells exchange a bicarbonate ion for a chlorine ion, diffusing the bicarbonate into the venous blood.
When the alkaline tide occurs after digestion or an outbreak of vomiting, the body works quickly to counteract the effects.
The pancreatic duct acts to neutralize the tide by depositing bicarbonate, while pumping hydrogen ions back into the bloodstream.
This action then neutralizes the bicarbonate produced in the stomach. Due to this corrective action that the gastrointestinal system takes, the effects of the alkaline tide are generally only experienced for a relatively short period of time.
What can alkaline food and water do for the body?
They argue that since the stomach is highly acidic, any alkalinity in the body would be neutralized long before it could affect the body.
These claims don’t take the big picture into account, and it’s important for everyone to know how alkaline water affects the body. Stomach acid neutralizes the alkalinity in our food and drinks, but that doesn’t mean that alkaline foods and drinks don’t affect our bodies.
Alkaline tides normally occur after eating a meal. The stomach must have enough hydrochloric acid (HCl) to break down food particles so that they can be digested properly. However, there is no pocket of acid in the body.
Instead, the stomach creates acid as needed.
To create hydrochloric acid, the body must break down salt (which is chlorine + sodium). As a by-product, baking soda is formed. Sodium bicarbonate is alkaline, so it is distributed in the bloodstream rather than in the stomach.
This effect is known as an alkaline tide and generally lasts for about 2 hours.
Normal alkaline tides affect the body after a meal, but it is possible to induce a natural alkaline tide by drinking alkaline water. Like a large meal, the stomach must break down the salts into bicarbonate and hydrochloric acid to keep the stomach’s pH low.
This causes a more effective alkaline tide in the body because:
- You don’t have to overeat to continue getting alkaline tides.
- The alkaline waters bring the stomach to an even higher pH, and the stomach must then create a stronger alkaline tide.
Note that although alkaline tides are generally good, we do not recommend raising the pH of your drinking water to 11.0 or higher. Remember that pH is measured on a logarithmic scale, so a pH of 11.0 is ten times greater than a pH of 10.0.
Other forms of alkalization
Another way to alkalize your bloodstream is to take enteric-coated alkaline supplements. These tablets contain calcium bicarbonate and sodium bicarbonate respectively.
Enteric-coated pills can bypass stomach acid with a special coating, so they go directly into the bloodstream. This creates an alkaline tidal-like effect on the body as bicarbonates are added to the blood.
Do not inject alkaline material or create your own enteric-coated pills using enteric-coated capsules. Improperly increasing the pH of the blood can cause serious damage to the body or even death.
Sodium and calcium bicarbonates increase the body’s pH, but only allow the body to reach a safe alkalinity.
This is why we recommend using alkaline supplements that increase the pH of your water or enteric-coated pills that contain natural blood pH factors (bicarbonates). Try to avoid eating too many highly acidic foods.
Although you may get a short-term alkaline tide, the acidic substances found within food can be deposited and stored in the body.
