Viral load and ph levels

i'm doing a little research and have come up with something very interesting. i have a theory that the VL will flucuate with how your ph level is. a low ph ( 6 or less = acidic) will correlate with a high VL, and a normal ph (7.5 or higher) will correlate with a lower VL. therefore, if you can get the ph up to normal your VL should go down. virons love & thrive in acidic serum.  

[NYCMark]

This may be true in theory, and in the research laboratory, but severe metabolic alkalosis (ie, blood pH above 7.55) is a serious medical problem.

People always want to maintain a normal ph (acid/base) level, which is about 7.4. Acidosis or alkalosis is usually a sign of serious illness or severe vomiting.

Mark

[coeric]

Here is a copy of HR's reply to a question about pH.  maybe he was answering a question from you a couple of months ago.  appology in advance if you've already seen this.


The pH of your body fluids is typically regulated with extreme precision to be between 7.38 and 7.42. This is more precise than you can even measure with a good pH meter. As you know the pH is the inverted logarithm of the concentration of protons in an aqueus fluid and it is in equilibrium with all the acidic and basic side chains of the amino acids that form the proteins in our body. Any change in the state of dissociaton of these amino acid side chains will lead to a shift in charge of these and the resulting new electic field forces within the protein will then give the protein a new, suboptimal shape. Thus even small changes in the pH will lead to a new shape for most proteins - with a totally disastrous irreversible breakdown of the machinery of life, thats why for instance lactic acidosis from a certain point on, even when treated in a hospital with iv pH correcting fluids means certain death.

We eat acids and we also produce acids in our metabolism from nonacidic precursor molecules, e g fat/carbohydrates. Some basic substances are also consumed and produced, typically less in daily molarity, so you end up with a net production of protons.

To constantly maintain the extremely precise proton concentration in our plasma the kidney has the fundamental capacity to excrete just the right amount of protons into the final urine, making it typically mildy acidic, down to pH 5. This is normal and healthy and helps to keep the urine sterile. It does not reflect an increased proton concentration - low pH- in you plasma, but the fact that your kidneys are doing their job.

If large amounts of external acids are ingested, like large doses of unbuffered Vit C or lipoic acid or lemons etc, you might overburden the renal capacity to excrete these extra protons. Intake of proton consuming - pH upping , alkaline substances like Mg or Ca carbonate, as in antacids - will shift the net proton production to a lower value.
It is not desirable to generate a totally neutral urine ( pH7- see above).
I did not mention the influence of bicarbonate/CO2/respiratory function on the pH, because it is of no relevance to the steady state, it just reflects the operation of the main compensatory buffer system to temporary disturbances of the acid/base balance.
meant to tell you that the ph inside your body is maintained precisely by your kidneys and not altered much by your diet etc as long as the kidneys work. The excess acid is excreted and a pH in the urine between 5 and 6 is quite normal. If you want to bring the urinary pH up, that is fine but HCV will not be affected by it either way.

This is not to say that an overall habit of moving the acid/basic intake more in the alkaline direction by eating more fruits/veggies with more Potassiumsalts is not a good idea, it most likely is, particularly for bone health, so that not even a minute amount of metabolic acidosis is typically present. But one has to start with the fundamental aspects of physiological ph constancy management before engaging in more esoteric considerations. We are capable to excrete large amounts of excess acid every day to have this precise inner milieu. Nevertheless, steering towards a neutral pH in the urine with diet and alkali salts might still be beneficial in the long run for several aspects of health.

[Forseegood]

health is why i always try to eat alkaline producing foods, (most veggies and some fruits) sorry bit is, most foods are acidic producing...especially the really good stuff..lol...

[copyman]

yes that post from HR was in response to my question. just seems that when my ph was normal my VL dropped and when it was acidic it was high. perhaps it was just the way the viral load flucuates on a daily basis and had nothing to do with the ph. i also have read that acidic ph is bad for your all around health and disease thrives in it, this includes cancers, etc.
I just threw this out there to see if anyone else noticed this. LOL, oh well i know what you are thinking right about now, this guy has way to much time on his hands..... and you may be right!

[coeric]

so would the in and out milk shake be considered acidic?  i may have had my last one last week.
sigh...  : (

i pulled the vegetable juicer from its hiding spot today and stuck some carrots and celery in it.  oh well, life goes on - at least for now.

[Forseegood]

keep those veggies whizzin eric...we're all going to be around for a long time...