🧪 Dietary Acid Load (DAL) and Its Impact on Health

🔍 What is Dietary Acid Load (DAL)?

Our body maintains a delicate acid-base balance, which is influenced by the foods we eat. Some foods produce acids when metabolized, while others create bases (alkaline substances). The total impact of diet on this balance is measured as Dietary Acid Load (DAL).

DAL is primarily determined by:

Potential Renal Acid Load (PRAL) – A calculation based on how much protein, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium are in foods.
Organic Acids in Foods – Certain foods contain acids that can be broken down into bicarbonate, which has an alkalinizing effect.

🍔 The Western Diet and Increased Acid Load

Modern Western diets are high in animal proteins and processed foods, leading to high DAL.
A diet with excessive acid load can result in chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis, which has been linked to several health problems.
Many traditional or plant-based diets tend to have lower DAL, which may be beneficial for long-term health.

🩺 How High DAL Affects Your Health

🔬 Research suggests that high dietary acid load may contribute to:

🔵 Obesity – A high DAL diet may promote fat storage, insulin resistance, and inflammation, leading to weight gain.
❤️ Cardiovascular Disease – Acidosis (too much acid in the body) may increase blood pressure, worsen cholesterol levels, and promote heart disease.
🧂 Kidney Function Decline – The kidneys work harder to eliminate excess acid, which may accelerate kidney damage in the long run.
🦴 Bone and Muscle Loss – Chronic acidosis can weaken bones by pulling calcium from them and may reduce muscle mass.
🧬 Cancer Risk – Some studies suggest that a high-acid diet may create an environment that supports tumor growth, although more research is needed.

✅ Actionable Tips: How to Lower Your Dietary Acid Load

To balance your acid-base levels and reduce the risks associated with high DAL, consider the following dietary changes:

🥦 1. Eat More Alkalizing Foods (Lower PRAL Score)

Fruits & Vegetables: Leafy greens, citrus fruits, bananas, avocados, and potatoes.
Nuts & Seeds: Almonds, flaxseeds, and chia seeds.
Legumes: Lentils, chickpeas, and beans.

🍖 2. Reduce High-Acid Foods (High PRAL Score)

Limit Processed Meats & Red Meat: High-protein animal products increase acid load.
Reduce Dairy Consumption: Cheese and milk contribute to acid load, but yogurt is a better alternative.
Cut Down on Processed & Sugary Foods: Soda, refined carbs, and fast food increase acidosis.

💧 3. Stay Hydrated with Alkaline Drinks

Drink More Water: Helps flush out excess acid.
Try Herbal Teas: Green tea, chamomile, and ginger tea can be beneficial.
Limit Soda & Alcohol: These beverages can worsen acidosis.

🏃‍♂️ 4. Lifestyle Adjustments

Regular Exercise: Helps balance acid-base levels by improving metabolism.
Mind Stress Levels: Chronic stress may contribute to acidity through hormone imbalances.

📌 Final Thoughts

DAL is an emerging health focus, shifting attention from just macronutrients to overall metabolic effects of food.
While research is still ongoing, a diet rich in plant-based, alkaline foods appears beneficial for reducing obesity, heart disease, kidney strain, and possibly even cancer risk.
Making small, mindful changes in diet can have big impacts on overall health and longevity.

Source:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11006742

This article questions the method used to calculate acid load:

Many foods are more acid-forming than acid-alkaline formulas indicate

Conclusions: Neither PRAL nor NEAP provides complete assessments of the impact of foods on DAL. These formulas could be improved by the inclusion of dietary amino acids rather than protein, taurine, purines, fructose, organic acids and polyphenols. Currently, dietitians and nutritionists lack the necessary tools both to research the acid-base hypothesis and recommend managed diets. Managed diets are of particular importance for the elderly because of their reduced kidney function which increases the risk of acid retention and subsequent interstitial acidosis.