31 in its Best Heart-Healthy Diets and tied for No. You may recall from chemistry class that pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is. What Is the Alkaline Diet? Review, Research, Food List, and More

The alkaline diet, also called the alkaline-ash diet or alkaline-acid diet, was made popular by its celebrity followers. One study found that following the alkaline diet would increase several micronutrients, such as potassium and magnesium, which could help lower the risk of hypertension and stroke and improve cardiovascular health, bone health, and cognition. This is known as the acid-ash hypothesis, which is why the alkaline diet is sometimes known as the acid-ash diet.

It is important to note, however, that this premise is simply a hypothesis, which means it is unproven. Since then, the alkaline diet has become much more common.

But celebrity diets don’t necessarily work for everyone or yield long-term results. There is no research to support these claims, and in fact one review found that “the human body has an amazing ability to maintain a steady pH in the blood,” regardless of diet.

While the pH of food likely does not matter, the alkaline diet does encourage fairly healthy eating patterns, including emphasizing unprocessed and plant-based foods and limiting red meat and refined grains. With that in mind, the diet recommends:

Avoiding acid-forming foods, such as meat, dairy, fish, eggs, grains, and alcohol

Consuming plenty of alkaline-forming foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes

Limiting neutral foods, such as starches, sugars, and natural fats

Again, there is no research to indicate that the pH of food has any impact on overall health, whereas there is plenty of evidence that shows it simply is not possible to change the body’s pH through diet. But, she says, the foods listed as alkaline tend to be healthy, and when you look at eating approaches like the widely studied and beneficial Mediterranean diet, you can reasonably say that the focus on these foods is a healthy approach.

. Acid-forming foods produce a pH lower than 7, while alkaline foods result in a pH level greater than 7, research has found. In fact, pH levels vary based on the regions of the body; for example, the stomach is highly acidic, and it needs to be to perform its job.

The kidneys and lungs are largely responsible for maintaining a balanced pH within the body, and the various levels are very tightly regulated. News & World Report ranked the alkaline diet No. 35 in Best Diabetes Diets.

How Does the Alkaline Diet Work?

The alkaline or acid-ash diet classifies foods according to how much acid they produce when digested. That’s because excess acid might be excreted through the urine in order to balance the body’s pH levels, notes the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).

If your body’s pH changes, it’s because of a serious health issue. Blood pH ranges from 7.2 to 7.45, says Jennifer Fitzgibbon, RDN, a registered oncology dietitian at Stony Brook University Cancer Center in New York. It ranges from 0 to 14.

0 is extremely acidic

7 is neutral

14 is very alkaline

Proponents of the alkaline diet believe that diets high in certain foods, such as meat and grains, and low in others, such as potassium-rich vegetables and fruits, can cause imbalances in blood pH that lead to a variety of health problems. That amount isn’t necessarily the same as the acidity level of foods in their raw state. The kidneys also help balance pH levels in urine, according to UC San Diego Health. Big names like Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson, and Tom Brady have said that they’ve tried the diet with positive results.

In 2013, Victoria Beckham tweeted that the alkaline cookbook Honestly Healthy: Eat With Your Body in Mind, the Alkaline Way, written by vegetarian chef Natasha Corrett and nutritionist Vicki Edgson, was her favorite. You may notice a difference in your urine pH, which can be measured with a simple dipstick test (also called a urine test strip), but that won’t tell you your overall levels because urine pH doesn’t reflect your body’s pH, according to MedlinePlus. Not to mention, there’s a lack of research behind the main principles of the alkaline diet — and for some people, the approach may come with health risks.

So, is it healthy or not? This guide will help you decide whether trying the alkaline diet is right for you.

What Is the Alkaline Diet, Exactly?

The premise of the alkaline diet is that the foods we eat affect our blood’s pH balance. For those reasons, U.S. Urine with a high pH could indicate a urinary tract infection or kidney stones, while a low pH could signify diarrhea, starvation, or diabetic ketoacidosis, per Michigan Medicine.

What Are the Potential Health Benefits of an Alkaline Diet?

Followers and authors of the many guides and recipe books about the alkaline diet say it can treat diseases and chronic conditions, including cancer and kidney disease.

From a scientific perspective, these claims aren’t realistic, says Adrienne Youdim, MD, an associate professor of medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles. A urine pH of 4 is considered strongly acidic, while 7 is neutral and 9 is strongly alkaline, notes Michigan Medicine.

A style of eating can’t change your body’s pH. Any foods that are around 7 are considered neutral.