What is the pH level? What effect does pH have on health?

Surely we have often heard the phrase “PHWhen studying Chemistry at school, it is necessary to determine the acidity and basicity of a solution. So you really understand all “what is pH?” good”pH level What is?”, how to calculate pH? Why is it important and applied in many fields. Follow the article for more details!

Not only that, the pH level is actually the basis for checking our health status. The collection of urine and blood samples for testing in medical facilities is also for the purpose of measuring the body’s pH. And through that doctors can know how your health is.

So why does pH do that? Let’s Ocany Find out why!

What is the pH level?

The pH level is not only meaningful to the field of chemistry but also to human health. This is an indicator that plays a very important role in daily life. Why is that? To find the answer, let’s first understand what pH is.

The concept of FIT

pH is a measure of the activity (activity) of H₃O⁺ (H+) ions in a solution, that is, its acidity or base. In aqueous systems, the activity of the hydrogen ion is determined by the dissociation constant of the water (Kw = 1,008 × 10−14 at 25 °C) and the interaction with other ions present in the solution.

And if the solution has:

• pH >7: solution is alkaline (basic)
• pH = 7: neutral solution
• pH <7: acidic solution

How to calculate PH concentration

Formulas for calculating the pH of acids and bases:

• General formula: pH = -log [H+]
• In addition, we have other formulas converted from the above calculation: pH = 14 – pOH and pOH = -log[OH-] = log(1/[OH-])

What effect does pH have on health?

The pH index is one of the important factors to overall health assessment of each of us. The difference in pH more or less affects physical and mental health problems. So what is the pH level in the body? And specifically, how does it affect human health?

What is the pH level in the body?

After knowing about the concept of what pH is and how to calculate it, the following will also learn about the pH concentration in the human body. In us, each internal organ has a different pH level. The pH indicates the concentration of H+ in that area. If the pH is too low, then the H+ is too much, highly acidic, and if the pH is too high, the H+ is low and alkaline.

For example, the pH of saliva in the mouth remains between 6.5 and 7.5 and that of blood is between 7.35 and 7.45. If the organs and fluids in the body are outside the safe threshold, it will cause health problems. They cannot perform their functions properly, leading to difficulties in physiological exchange activities.

Therefore, balancing the pH level of the body plays a very important role. The balance between acidity and alkalinity will help the organs in the body work more “smoothly”. As a result, physical and mental health is always in the best state.

How to check your body’s pH level?

To know your own health status, you can check your body’s pH level. And you can measure the pH yourself at home by the following 2 ways:

Use red litmus paper (pH paper):

Morning, when you have just woken up is the best time to measure the pH. Because now the index is measured more accurately. Take a piece of red litmus paper and you can either pee directly on it or dip ⅓ of the paper length into a urine cup.

The test paper will change color after being moistened, to know the pH compare the color of that piece of paper with the color ranges provided with the test kit. Corresponding to each color is a pH indicator. Find the color that most closely matches the piece of paper and read the results.

Alternatively, you can use saliva to test.

Using a pH meter:

Measurements are the same as above. The best time to eat is early in the morning. To test, dip a pH meter into a cup of urine. After about 4 seconds on the body of the pen, the indicator will appear and you just need to read the result.

The ideal pH value of urine is between 6.5 and 7.5. The pH of saliva is between 6.4 and 6.8. If the pH is below 5, the urine is more acidic and you may have health problems such as dehydration, diarrhea, acute kidney failure. And when urine pH is above 8 you can have kidney stones, urinary tract infections, vomiting a lot, etc.

What pH level in the body is good?

For the cells and organs in the body to function at their best, humans must maintain a pH level between 7.35 and 7.45. This means that a healthy body will be slightly alkaline.

But when eating a lot of hot spicy food, fast food, stimulant drinks, etc., the body loses its natural alkalinity and turns acidic. Without measures to balance the pH, our health will gradually weaken along with diseases of the body digestion, eyes, osteoporosis, kidney failure…

What are the health dangers of an unhealthy pH level?

Balancing the pH levels in the body is also known as acid-base balance. It is the level of acids and bases in your blood when your body is working at its best. When this balance is disrupted in the functioning of cells, organs in the body are “troubled” leading to a condition medically known as alkalosis and acidosis.

Some common symptoms of alkalosis:

• Vomiting
• Hand tremors
• Frostbitten
• Muscle weakness
• Muscle cramps

Some common symptoms of acidosis:

• Headache
• Tired
• Shortness of breath
• Asleep
• Confusion

When experiencing the above symptoms, go to a medical facility for examination and treatment by doctors. If not treated promptly, the patient may go into shock and coma.

How to keep the pH at the best level for the body

Eat more alkaline foods to neutralize the Acid

According to experts, to increase the alkalinity of the body, the diet needs to have green vegetables such as broccoli, cucumber, lettuce of the same kind fruit, seeds, beans. The above foods contain alkaline elements: calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium and potassium.

Eating foods rich in natural alkalis will help neutralize excess acid in the blood and carry it away to nourish the organs and cells in the body. Especially, when the body has a low pH level, it is very necessary to add alkaline vegetables and fruits to 70% of the menu.

Live and exercise in moderation

With an unhealthy lifestyle such as often staying up late, using stimulants, available processed foods will upset the acid-base balance. Exercise is a useful solution. When we exercise, our body produces sweat and hormones that help maintain homeostasis and regulate pH.

In addition, you must live in moderation with a reasonable diet, sleep and rest to regulate the amount of acid-base in the body organs. Adjusting the rhythm of life to a fixed time and maintaining it every day is the best method to improve health.

Use Alkaline drinks every day

Alkaline water is a natural alkaline drinking water with a pH of 8.5-9.5, rich in hydrogen, containing many healthy mineral ions. With a higher pH value than normal mineral water, alkaline water helps stabilize the amount of bases in the body by adding mineral ions such as Na+, K+, Ca+, etc.

The Japanese, declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the people with the longest life expectancy in the world, have the habit of drinking alkaline water every day. And alkaline ionized water is recognized by the Japanese Medical Conference as a very healthy drink. In 2009, this country chose 11/7 every year as “Alkaline Ionized Water Day” to encourage people to use this water.

Although the pH level in the human body is from 7.35-7.45, it is slightly alkaline. But the pH level is easily changed when you are affected by a polluted environment, eating hot spicy food or sweets, etc.

Therefore, the body will be prone to excess acidity and health problems. Daily use of alkaline ionized water will help neutralize excess acid and stabilize alkaline levels for the body. In addition, alkaline water also has the effect of preventing aging, increasing the immune system and treating stomach-related diseases such as gastritis, stomach ulcers, etc.

Epilogue

In short, the article has provided us with the concept of what is pH? how to calculate pH and how important it is to our health. The pH value deviating from the safe threshold, whether more or less, causes health problems. Therefore, we must maintain the habit of eating lots of green vegetables, exercising and especially drinking alkaline ionized water to keep the body’s pH at the best level.

See also: What is electrolyte water? 10 simple electrolyte replacement drinks that are easy to find