BELTSVILLE, Md.—A new Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study suggests that alkali-producing compounds may help preserve bone and muscle mass, and reducing the acid load that accompanies the typical high-protein diet also is important.
The study, led by Lisa Ceglia and Bess Dawson-Hughes at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, reported that diets high in protein and low in fruits and vegetables result in mild "acidosis" with aging because protein metabolism releases acids into the bloodstream in amounts that override the alkalinizing effect of potassium and bicarbonate in plant foods. Results were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.