Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Kirsten Dunst, Victoria Beckham and Jared Leto are just a handful of the celebrities who have admitted that they follow an alkaline diet<\/strong>. \u201cThe philosophy behind this dietary approach is that food has an impact on the body’s pH<\/strong>\u201d, says Joana Andr\u00e9, Nutrition and Health Consultant at SHA. \u201cThus, alkaline foods (which have a pH above 7) would help to reduce the body’s acidity, while more acidic foods (pH below 7) would increase it, creating an environment more conducive to the development of different diseases<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n Although the alkaline diet tends to be healthy, as it excludes a group of foods that are highly inflammatory <\/strong>and encourages a higher intake of plant-based foods, Joana clarifies that \u201cits benefits do not come from its impact on blood pH. According to the American Institute of Cancer Research<\/strong>, food choices only affect urine pH, not blood pH. The body has its own self-regulating mechanisms<\/strong> and does several things to maintain its homeostasis, thus ensuring that the pH levels in blood, tissues and cells does not fluctuate significantly so as to be compatible with life (between 7.35 and 7.45). In contrast, urine pH does appear to vary considerably depending on food choices<\/strong> and can range from 4.6 to 8. In addition, acidification or alkalinisation of urine is one of the mechanisms the body uses to maintain pH within the desired range<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n