The acid-base balance of the body 5

Daksha Dembi 12VEB

We all know what pH means – below pH 7 is acid, and above is alkaline, but how does this come into play when involving the human body, and why is it so important?

When it comes to our body, a critical factor that is tightly regulated to maintain optimal cellular function is the body’ s pH balance. Many processes in the body are sensitive to small changes in the body, for example, enzymes, which are essential for many reactions in the body. pH variation can alter an enzyme’s shape, therefore denaturing. This can affect the rate of responses and ultimately impact the body’ s ability to carry out essential functions such as metabolism, energy production and waste removal The acid-base balance, also known as the pH balance, is the balance between the acids and bases in the body’ s fluids, including blood, urine and cellular fluids.

Standard blood pH is between 7.35 and 7.45, which is slightly alkaline and is very carefully regulated by several mechanisms These include the respiratory system, which controls the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood, and the kidneys, which regulate the excretion of acids and bases in the urine.

While the systems in our body work tightly together, what happens when things go wrong?

Acid-base imbalances can occur when there is an excess or deficit of acids or bases in the body. An example of this is when there is an excess of acids in the blood, it is called metabolic acidosis. This occurs either when your body produces too much acid or when your kidneys cannot remove it correctly. Symptoms can include rapid breathing, fatigue and confusion. However, this can be treated by administering sodium bicarbonate to return the blood to a normal pH. Another example of an imbalance is when there is a deficit of carbon dioxide in the blood called respiratory alkalosis Symptoms of this may include muscle spasms, numbness and tingling, nausea, and light-headedness. They can occur due to several factors, including a lack of oxygen, high altitudes, fevers, and lung or liver disease. These are just examples of imbalances in the body, but acid-base imbalances can have serious health consequences and require medical treatment to restore the balance. In severe cases, this can lead to heart arrhythmias or comas, but this is very rare!

References

Pietrangelo, A. (2017, June 6). Acid-Base Balance. Retrieved from Healthlin https://www.healthline.com/health/acid-base-balance