The American Association for Clinical Chemistry says the normal urine pH range is between 4.5 and 8. Any pH higher than 8 is basic or alkaline, and any under 6 is acidic. A urine pH test is carried out as a part of a urinalysis.
The common value for urine pH is 6.0–7.5 for most people, but any value within the 4.5–8.0 range is generally not a cause for concern. The pH scale runs from 1 to 14, with 1 being the most acidic and 14 the most basic. However, different laboratories may have different ranges for “normal” pH levels.
What Abnormal Results Mean. A high urine pH may be due to: Kidneys that do not properly remove acids (renal tubular acidosis) Kidney failure.
The normal values range from pH 4.6 to 8.0.
The kidneys maintain normal acid-base balance primarily through the reabsorption of sodium and the tubular secretion of hydrogen and ammonium ions. Urine becomes increasingly acidic as the amount of sodium and excess acid retained by the body increases.
The color of urine can be influenced by: - pH: acidic urine usually darker. - concentration: pale yellow urine is usually hypotonic, while dark urine is hypertonic (except in osmotic diuresis -e.g. in glucosuria- where the pale colored urine has high specific weight).
When the urine has less acid (more alkaline), there is a greater likelihood of bacteria growing at a rapid rate and as a result a bladder infection can occur more easily. So, it is beneficial to keep your urine naturally acidic.
Drinks with high inorganic acid content (such as Coca-Cola) or high sulfur-bound amino acid content such as yoghurt and buttermilk will result in acidification of the urine.
To help make your urine more acid you should avoid most fruits (especially citrus fruits and juices), milk and other dairy products, and other foods which make the urine more alkaline. Eating more protein and foods such as cranberries (especially cranberry juice with vitamin C added), plums, or prunes may also help.
1) Urinary Tract Infection
The most common cause of elevated urine pH levels is an infection in the urinary tract. Many of these infectious organisms produce an enzyme called urease that breaks apart urea to carbon dioxide and ammonia, increasing urine pH [61, 62].
Depending on the person's acid-base status, the pH of urine may range from 4.5 to 8. A urinary pH greater than 5.5 in the presence of systemic acidemia (serum pH less than 7.35) suggests renal dysfunction related to an inability to excrete hydrogen ions (Queremel Milani & Jialal, 2020).
Amaranth, millet, buckwheat, and quinoa are known to alkalize the pH of urine. While beans like green beans, lima beans, and string beans are alkalizing. Cashews, almonds, walnuts, etc contain healthy fats that neutralise the acidic pH of the body.
At the same time, while the acidity of the coffee bean isn't changed by fermentation, the mix of microbes we use to ferment the coffee beans before roasting have an alkalizing effect on the chemistry of the bean. This means the coffee is likely to disrupt your body's pH balance when you drink it.
Metabolic alkalosis is caused by too much bicarbonate in the blood. It can also occur due to certain kidney diseases. Hypochloremic alkalosis is caused by an extreme lack or loss of chloride, such as from prolonged vomiting.
Urine can become cloudy from conditions other than infections. Diabetes, diet, kidney stones, and dehydration can all cause cloudy urine.
Urinary pH changes were different based on baseline values. Baseline urine pH values lower than or equal to 5.8 resulted in increased values, while baseline values greater than or equal to 6.5 gave decreased values. Mean increase in pH as a result of greater water intake was 0.57 units.
It is counterintuitive that consuming lemon juice, which is a quite strong acid (with a pH between 2 and 3), will cause the urine to become less acidic. This is because citric acid (which makes lemons “tart,” i.e., acidic) is metabolized to bicarbonate, which is alkaline and excreted in the urine.
It was concluded that pH in urine have significant relation with capacity of drinking water per day. Male who drink 1-4 and 5-8 glasses of water in a day have 33.33% and 66.67% chance of alkaline pH respectively and female who drink 1-4 glasses had 25% chance of acidic pH and 8.33% chance of basic pH.
A study even indicated that a urine pH of >7.5 is a single indicator of UTI.
Acidic fruits and spicy foods are the solid items that you should avoid. Lemons, oranges, grapefruits, apples, peaches, you name it. Any of these fruits are loaded with acids, and while they may taste delicious, they can greatly irritate the bladder. A word of warning is to also avoid the juices made from these fruits.
Balancing pH Levels in the Body
The sweet spot is 7.0 pH. Pure water is 7.0 pH. Our blood needs to stay very close to that neutral pH, specifically within the range of 7.35-7.55 pH; lower or higher blood pH, even by a bit, can cause death. The body is pretty good at keeping the blood within this very tight range of pH.
pH is a measure of how acidic/basic water is. The range goes from 0 - 14, with 7 being neutral. pHs of less than 7 indicate acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates a base. pH is really a measure of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in the water.
A pH of 7.0, in the middle of this scale, is neutral. Blood is normally slightly basic, with a normal pH range of about 7.35 to 7.45. Usually the body maintains the pH of blood close to 7.40.