Acidity and Your Health: Separating Myth from Science

Acidity has been getting a lot of attention lately, especially in wellness circles. You’ve probably heard that it's linked to issues like heartburn or even serious health problems. But is acidity really as bad as it’s made out to be? The truth is, while it does affect our health in important ways, it’s not the enemy we often think it is. Let’s take a closer look at what acidity actually does in our bodies and when it becomes a problem.

Acidity vs. Acidosis: Understanding the Difference

First things first, we need to clarify a key distinction: acidity and acidosis are not the same thing, even though they’re often used interchangeably in casual conversation.

Acidity is a natural part of digestion and various bodily processes. It refers to the presence of acids in the stomach and other areas of the body, and it’s essential for functions like breaking down food.

Acidosis, on the other hand, is a serious medical condition in which the blood becomes too acidic. This typically happens in extreme situations like uncontrolled diabetes, advanced kidney failure, or severe alcoholism. If your blood's pH strays even slightly from its ideal 7.4, it can become life-threatening, but rest assured, the body has built-in systems to keep this from happening.

While "acidity" has gained a bad reputation, most people don’t realize that acidosis is rare, and for the vast majority of us, acidity is something our bodies handle on their own, day in and day out.

Why Acidity in the Gut Is Important

Contrary to what many detox trends would have you believe, acidity in the stomach is actually essential for good digestion. Your stomach contains hydrochloric acid (HCl), one of the strongest acids your body produces. Without this stomach acid, food would pass through your system undigested, and your body wouldn’t be able to absorb important nutrients.

Think of swallowing a penny. Since hydrochloric acid can’t break down metal, it would pass through your body unchanged. The same principle applies to food: if you didn’t have acid in your stomach, that steak or salad would essentially pass right through without giving you any of the nutrients you need.

However, when the gut becomes too acidic, problems can arise:

Ulcers: Excess acid can erode the lining of the stomach, causing sores that lead to pain, nausea, and even bleeding.

Digestive disorders: Chronic acidity may contribute to conditions like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or diverticulitis, where small pockets (diverticula) in the intestines become inflamed or infected.

digestive system drawing overlayed on woman's body

The Role of Bile in Digestion and Acidity

Here’s where things get more interesting. One of the main culprits of excess gut acidity isn’t just what you eat—it’s bile.

Bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. It serves two crucial functions:

Digesting fats: Bile helps break down fats from the food you eat, making them easier to absorb.

Carrying away fat-soluble waste: Bile also acts as a detoxifying agent, carrying out excess hormones, toxins, and other waste products that the liver filters from your blood.

In short, bile is like a digestive multitasker—it helps you break down fats while also clearing out the junk your body doesn’t need. But there’s a catch: bile gets recycled.

About 95% of the bile your body produces is reabsorbed and reused, cycling through your system as many as 72 times a day.

How Bile Recycling Contributes to Acidity

When bile is recycled too many times, it starts to accumulate hydrogen ions, which are the main drivers of acidity. The more hydrogen ions your bile contains, the more acidic it becomes.

Over time, this increased acidity can irritate the lining of your gastrointestinal tract, leading to inflammation and digestive discomfort. If left unchecked, this can contribute to more serious gut problems.

Why Soluble Fiber Is the Key to Reducing Acidity

Here’s the good news: you can prevent excess bile from being reabsorbed by eating enough soluble fiber. Soluble fiber, found in foods like pinto beans, lentils, navy beans, and black-eyed peas, binds to bile in your gut and helps your body excrete it.

By removing bile from your system, you’re not only reducing acidity but also helping your body eliminate the waste products and excess hormones that bile carries with it. This helps reduce inflammation in the gut and promotes overall digestive health.

For most people, eating about ½ cup of beans with each meal is enough to keep bile levels—and acidity—in check. But if you’re dealing with specific health conditions, like hormone-positive breast cancer or anxiety, you may need to eat beans more frequently to prevent the reabsorption of bile.

The Detox Myth: Why Soluble Fiber Outshines Supplements

If you’ve ever tried a detox program, you’ve probably been told that certain supplements or diets can "stimulate" your liver and kidneys to cleanse your body. Here’s the problem: unless you’re eating enough soluble fiber, those detox programs aren’t doing much.

Sure, they might trigger your liver to release more bile, but without enough fiber to bind to that bile, you’re just recycling it right back into your system—along with all the toxins and hormones it carries. The only way to truly detox your body is by providing it with enough soluble fiber to flush out bile for good.

Eating Beans Frequently: The Power of Timing

You might be wondering, "Why do I need to eat beans so often?" The answer lies in how frequently bile gets recycled. As mentioned earlier, bile can be reabsorbed from 20 to 72 times a day.

To effectively remove bile from your system, it’s crucial to eat small amounts of beans or other sources of soluble fiber throughout the day. By doing this, you’re constantly giving your body what it needs to bind and excrete bile.

Missing a Puzzle Piece: Why Alkaline Diets Aren't the Full Picture

Another trend you’ve probably heard about is the alkaline diet, which claims that eating alkaline foods can reduce acidity in your body and improve your health. But here’s the thing: your body naturally regulates its pH—especially your blood—no matter what you eat.

Your blood’s pH must remain around 7.4 to keep your body functioning properly. If it were to shift even slightly, it could be life-threatening. Luckily, your body has built-in systems (primarily through the kidneys) to ensure that your pH stays balanced.

The real key to managing acidity is not in eating alkaline foods but in eating enough soluble fiber to prevent the reabsorption of bile, which is the primary contributor to gut acidity.

Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple

In a world filled with health trends, supplements, and complicated diets, the real solution to managing acidity and promoting overall health is much simpler than you might think: eat more soluble fiber.

By incorporating legumes into your diet and eating them regularly, you can keep bile levels in check, prevent excess acidity, and promote better gut health. No fancy detox programs or alkaline diets required—just real food and a little bit of knowledge about how your body works.

If you’re interested in learning more, I’ll be posting more in-depth discussions on this topic on the blog, including how acidity impacts specific health conditions like anxiety, cancer, and digestive disorders. Until then, focus on making small, sustainable changes, and let your body do the rest!