Today I was asked to write about, ‘Can a High Alkaline diet prevent Cancer?’ Being given a discussion point around Cancer is always a very sensitive subject. I am not a Doctor, a Scientist or any kind of professional with enough knowledge in that area to just reel off information about the discussion point.

My initial thought was if that’s true, why hasn’t this been wide spread information to everyone for years. Over 166,000 people died from Cancer in the UK in 2017. That’s 28% of the UK deaths. 28%.

Whether you fall into the side of refusing to believe there isn’t a concrete cure yet or whether you have complete faith that there will be one soon, something must be done to prevent and help cure this disease forever.

After much research, reading reports I didn’t fully understand and discovering words I’d never heard of before. I came across an article that said ‘Some studies have shown that acidic environments help cancer cells grow. So, the idea is that a diet high in alkaline foods (high pH) and low in acidic foods will raise the body’s pH levels (make the body more alkaline) and prevent or even cure cancer.’

From that paragraph you’d think, wow so I avoid acidic foods and I could be one of the lucky ones? Not exactly. Notice the word ‘idea’ in their quote. There has been very little research into this theory and the research that has been done, was in an isolated lab setting and does not represent the aggression of Cancer in the human body.

While it is well documented that a high Alkaline Diet will improve how you feel and keep you hydrated and is somewhat recommended as an alternative diet during Cancer treatment. It is not researched enough to be classed as a preventative or cure for Cancer. The diet will change the pH levels of your urine and saliva as they are waste products, but the body’s pH is a very tightly regulated system and you couldn’t physically eat enough High Alkaline foods to change the pH levels of your blood.

We can only hope that one day there will be a big enough discussion around each & every theory to have the investment provided for the research. But would a large drug company invest into research for something they couldn’t patent? Unlikely.

There are plenty of websites that document large lists of Alkaline foods if this is something you’d like to look into further but here are a few ideas for you:

• Avocado (seriously is there anything Avocado doesn’t do?)
• Tomato
• Grapefruit
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Green Beans
• Cabbage
• Sweet Potato
• Spinach
• Carrot