Saturday, July 31, 2010

What is alkaline tide

The slight rise in blood pH following a meal, when the BLOOD temporarily becomes more ALKALINE. When the STOMACH produces hydrochloric acid (STOMACH ACID) for use in DIGESTION, it removes a fraction of negatively charged CHLORIDE ions from circulation. Chloride is then replaced by BICARBONATE in the blood, which tends to raise blood pH. As the meal is digested, chloride ions are reabsorbed by the INTESTINE and again enter the bloodstream. In turn, bicarbonate is reabsorbed and the pH returns to normal. The URINE may become more alkaline during digestion as the body compensates for the change in blood pH.

What is Alkalemia

A blood condition characterized by excessive alkalinity (excessively high pH). A blood pH greater than 7.4 is considered alkaline and rep represents an accumulation of hydroxide ions and depletion of hydrogen ions, CARBON DIOXIDE, and CARBONIC ACID. The body is exquisitely buffered to keep blood pH slightly alkaline, within a very narrow range, 7.35–7.45. However, this equilibrium can be shifted by loss of STOMACH ACID through vomiting; by the consumption of alkaline medications such as those used to treat ulcers; and by rapid breathing (hyperventilation), which rapidly decreases the body’s stores of carbon dioxide. The body compensates for alkalemia and reestablishes normal blood pH by slowing the respiration rate (breathing); this increases the level of carbon dioxide in the blood, which spontaneously forms more carbonic acid. The KIDNEYS can compensate for elevated pH by excreting alkaline urine.

Understanding Alitame

A non-caloric ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER that is 2,000 times sweeter than sugar that has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This sweetener was developed to be safer than ASPARTAME. Unlike aspartame, alitame does not contain phenylalanine and consequently would likely be safe for individuals with PHENYLKETONURIA (PKU), a genetic intolerance to this amino acid.