![]() But when plant-based foods, particularly fruits, are digested, they produce bicarbonate. ![]() Meat, which is rich in protein and thus amino acids, increases the body's acid load, and this could be a challenge for aging kidneys to excrete. Older people in general might benefit from a diet with less meat and more fruits and vegetables, Emmett said. They also might want to have patients increase their bicarbonate levels through the diet - but that doesn't necessarily mean eating more baking soda or the baking goods that might contain it, Raphael said. However, the remedy to reduce this risk isn't yet clear.ĭoctors who find low levels of bicarbonate in a patient's blood might want to look for the root cause, to see if an underlying condition is responsible. The findings, if confirmed in larger studies, may provide primary care doctors with a simple measurement to help identify patients who have an elevated risk of early death. Acid retention reduces bicarbonate levels, and even low to normal levels may contribute to a variety of age-related disorders, such as osteoporosis, reduced muscle mass and strength, and kidney stones, he said. Michael Emmett, chief of internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, who was not part of the study, added that kidney function declines naturally with age, making it harder for the body to excrete acid loads derived from the diet. Low bicarbonate levels are also associated with inflammation and a loss of bone mineral and muscle mass, "so these factors may play a role," Raphael said.ĭr. Previous studies have found that low bicarbonate levels are associated with declining kidney function over time, even in people without kidney disease, and this increases the risk of death, including cardiovascular death, Raphael told Live Science. They could not determine whether the low levels of bicarbonate in the blood contributed to the deaths or were an indicator of an underlying medical problem that could have contributed to these people's deaths. The new study found only an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship, between bicarbonate levels and the risk of early death, the researchers noted. ![]() Many organs produce bicarbonate, which can buffer the acid, and the kidneys excrete excess acid through urine. Dangerous levels of acid could build up in the bloodstream without a mechanism to neutralize or eliminate it. Digestion also produces acids such as sulfuric acid. As aerobic organisms, humans breathe in oxygen and use this chemical with food nutrients to create energy, with the byproduct being the slightly acidic chemical carbon dioxide. ![]() Scientists have long understood the importance and basic mechanisms for regulating blood pH. ![]()
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