According to a story from Healthline, a daily regimen of baking soda consumption could help reduce the severity of inflammation in certain diseases, such as chronic kidney disease and rheumatoid arthritis. These findings are the result of research conducted by Augusta University.
The nature of this effect comes from the manner in which baking soda interacts with the spleen. The spleen is an organ that stores certain types of white blood cells, including a type called macrophages. These cells are responsible for clearing cellular debris and are often a crucial component of the immune response.
Inflammation is the result of immune system activity, and baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, can actually change the type of macrophages that the spleen releases. The M1 type promotes inflammatory activity, but a steady baking soda regimen causes the spleen to release M2 macrophages instead, which have an anti-inflammatory effect. Additionally, researchers say that the production of M2s actually increases as well.
Drinking baking soda has two noticeable effects. Firstly, it encourages the stomach to release more acid in order to digest the body’s next meal, but it also interacts with the mesothelial cells of the spleen which causes the spleen to halt its immune response. The balance of M1 cells to M2 cells is decisively noticeable in testing only two weeks after regular ingestion of baking soda.
In patients with chronic kidney disease, a common problem is that blood becomes more acidic, which can lead to issues such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular problems. However, taking baking soda daily can restore the normal level of blood acidity. This means that baking soda can effectively slow down the progression of chronic kidney disease. As a result, some doctors regularly instruct patients to begin consuming baking soda every day.
Testing of these findings was conducted both in animal models and on humans as well. Researchers noted that the effect is best achieved with daily consumption; halting the regimen will result in the return of inflammation fairly quickly. Regardless, patients with inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis should consider the beneficial properties of baking soda, which is cheap, easily accessible, and doesn’t require a prescription.
