Ph Balance

Consuming a lot of acidic beverages such as, orange juice, alcoholic beverages, and soda’s, has raised a question of whether or not these drinks are doing damage to our GI tract epithelial lining. While using animal models, there was evidence that damage was done to the GI tract epithelial lining from the consumption of acidic beverages. Results from studies performed on both animals and humans determined that there was a lack of adverse effects on epithelial cells. Therefore, the damage of drinking acidic beverages is not irreversible. However, it would not be expected in humans to have permanent damage due to our repair mechanisms. So in conclusion, drinking low pH beverages will not cause long term effects on the GI tract epithelial lining.

This article relates to unit three which was over acids, bases, pH. During this unit, we had to measure the pH of seven different solutions that were set up in beakers. For our measurements, we used the pH meter to get the most accurate results. The solutions that we measured were coffee, soda, a sports drink, apple juice, milk, diluted water, and tap water. After measuring all of the solutions, we came to the conclusion that all of these solutions were acidic beverages, except the diluted water. We then figured out that the soda drink was the most acidic of them all with a pH of 2.45.

This article and lab relate to me because I came to the realization that after determining the pH of all of these beverages, I drink a lot of acidic drinks. Milk, with a pH of 6.13, is something that I drink every day, a few times a day. I do not drink a lot of sodas but I do, however, drink a lot of sport drinks, which had a pH of 2.96, the closest to soda. Apple juice, with a pH of 3.61 and tap water, with a pH of 6.59, is some other beverages I consume quite often as well. From reading this article, it is reassuring that although I tend to drink a lot of acidic drinks, they are not causing total damage to my body because of my repair...