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Researchers are finding more and more evidence that increasing alkalinity can enhance muscle mass.

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008

Ceglia L, Harris SS, Abrams SA, Rasmussen HM, Dallal GE, Dawson-Hughes B. Potassium bicarbonate attenuates the urinary nitrogen excretion that accompanies an increase in dietary protein and may promote calcium absorption.

Researchers administered potassium bicarbonate (Subjects started on 3 capsules daily (one after each meal), and gradually increased the dose by 3 capsules every 3 days to a maximum daily dose of 12 capsules (90 mmol/day; 4 capsules after each meal with 8 ounces of water), which they took throughout the study). The subjects were assigned to a low protein (0.5 g/kg/day) and high protein diet (1 g/kg/day); each subject served as there own control’s and then switched groups (low protein/ high protein) and blood samples were also taken throughout the study. At the end of 41 days, supplementation with 90 mmol/day of potassium bicarbonate, which resulted in a net alkali-producing intake (reduced blood acidity), reduced by almost 50% the rise in urinary nitrogen excretion; this reduction in urinary nitrogen excretion can be considered an indicator of reduced muscle wasting. Circulating levels of IGF-1 was higher in the potassium bicarbonate group than the placebo group after each metabolic diet period suggests that it was increased by potassium bicarbonate supplementation. Interestingly, the high protein diet that was acidic caused a decrease in IGF-1 which was likely related to liver IGF-1 response to reduced circulating growth hormone.

The study provides the first evidence that ingestion of alkali may increase serum IGF- 1 levels in healthy older men and women and reduce muscle catabolism.

Take away: Whether it's the extensive list of foods I provide or supplements, alkalizing your system is a powerful way to amplify your Blueprint gains.

Good find, and further validation.

There's more:

A study from the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a plant based diet can ward off muscle loss. After age 65, most people lose 4.4 pounds of lean tissue. In this study, 400 male and female volunteers aged 65 or older ate a diet higher in potassium –- or an alkalizing, plant based diet. The members of the study had a potassium baseline established through urinary potassium, and further data were collected 18 months after the subjects had started the diet. Those that ate a plant based diet, high in potassium intake, had 3.6 more pounds of lean tissue than the group that consumed half as much dietary potassium.

Worth noting that these were older folk who presumably weren't even training. The gains for a younger trainee doing everything right would likely have been even greater.

Looks very fascinating, I have never heard of this before reading your book. How much of the alkalizing foods in the BP do you recommend eating to neutralize the effects of the acids in our body?

I personally replace starchy carbs every other meal with fiberous alkalizing foods. Just feel better mixing it up that way.

I don't know if it's just my body chemistry or what but it takes that plus Alkaplex to budge my pH into a more friendly range on the Multistix. I'd eat those alkalizing foods at every meal, but that much fiber on top of the rest of the food = hefty Charmin bill.

For pennies a day, Alkaplex Green Plus is invaluable.

I find myself recommending it to more people overall than anything else we stock. If your pH is off, nothing else matters so much.

First things first.