🧪 What’s the Claim?

Proponents of alkaline diets believe that eating more “alkaline-forming” foods—like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes—can change the body’s internal pH and reduce the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes [1][2]. Meanwhile, “acid-forming” foods like meats, dairy, and processed products are claimed to increase disease risk.

🔍 Why It's Misleading

The body tightly controls blood pH within a narrow range (7.35–7.45), and diet has minimal impact on it [4]. The positive effects of alkaline diets likely stem from their emphasis on nutrient-dense, plant-based foods—not because they shift the body’s pH level.

✅ What the Science Really Says

Recent studies have explored alkaline reduced water (ARW) and its potential benefits for people with type 2 diabetes:

✔ Animal research has shown ARW may help reduce blood sugar levels, oxidative stress, and inflammation in diabetic mice [1]
✔ A quasi-experimental study showed ARW with pH 9.5 significantly reduced random blood glucose levels in humans over 14 days [2]
✔ A randomised controlled trial found ARW reduced fasting blood sugar in patients with T2DM when compared to regular mineral water [3]
✔ However, experts agree that the benefits come from diet quality, not pH effects [4]. Human studies are still limited, and ARW should not be considered a cure.

💡 Key Takeaway

Focus less on whether food is "alkaline" or "acidic"—what matters is eating a balanced, whole-food diet that helps regulate blood glucose, supports metabolic health, and reduces inflammation.

🔘 Explore Our Healthy Eating Tips

Reference

  1. Ma, H, Jeong, UM, Bajgai, J, Rahman, MH, Mo, C, He, W, Abdul-Nasir, S, Pham, TT, Zhang, H, Goh, SH, Kim, B, Jung, H, Kim, C-S & Lee, K-J 2025, ‘Therapeutic effects of alkaline reduced water on type 2 diabetes mellitus induced by high-fat diet and streptozotocin in C57BL/6 mouse model’, Molecular & Cellular Toxicology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13273-025-00507-4.

  2. Siswantoro, E & Purwanto, N 2017, ‘Effectiveness of alkali water consumption to reduce blood sugar levels in diabetes mellitus type 2’, Journal of Diabetes Mellitus, vol. 7, pp. 249–264, https://doi.org/10.4236/jdm.2017.73021.

  3. Wicaksono, SA, Nabyla, DH & Utami, SB 2020, ‘The effects of alkaline reduced water administration to the fasting blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus’, Pakistan Journal of Medical & Health Sciences, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 1260–1266.

  4. Williams, RS, Kozan, P & Samocha-Bonet, D 2016, ‘The role of dietary acid load and mild metabolic acidosis in insulin resistance in humans’, Biochimie, vol. 124, pp. 171–177, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2015.09.012.

Image

Canva (2023) llustration of pH , Canva [Digital image]. Available at: https://www.canva.com/ (Accessed: 14 May 2025).