Human pH Values

Your body tightly controls pH levels to maintain overall good health. Different components of your body have different pH levels, depending on their bodily functions. Exercise, diet and medications can affect your body’s pH levels. While pH balance isn’t a matter of life and death, it’s still interesting to know your body’s average pH and how it’s affected by outside influences.

Disclaimer: Precision Laboratories test strips are for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. We don’t recommend making any major changes to your diet or lifestyle based on the results of pH test strips. Consult your physician if you think you may have a health condition, or if you are considering adopting any dietary changes.

Human pH Values

The table below lists normal pH ranges for a healthy individual.

The natural pH of blood is 7.4 (7.35-7.45). A pH of 7.2-7.6 may occur under heavy exercise or unusual dietary conditions.

The pH of blood is very tightly controlled by your body due to its importance in cell metabolism. This means your body will eliminate excess acid or base in your urine.

Eating a lot of acidic or alkaline foods can change the pH of your blood. A heavy meat diet, for example, is believed to produce a higher amount of acidic residue than a vegetarian diet. Meats, cheeses, legumes, most grains, blueberries, cranberries and plums tend to be acidic. Most fruits, vegetables and juices have an alkalizing effect on the body.

The pH of saliva is also tightly controlled in the range of pH 6.3-6.7. This is important for the health of your teeth, mouth lining (mucosa) and the action of salivary amylase. The results of saliva testing may indicate the activity of digestive enzymes in your body.

Test the pH of your saliva before eating, otherwise you may just be testing the pH of your food. Avoid testing the pH of your saliva within 2 hours of eating. If the pH readings are consistently above or below the ideal range, consult a physician.

You should follow the same guidelines when testing urine. You will likely find that the pH of urine will fluctuate depending on what you eat. Urine testing may indicate how well your body is removing excess acids or alkaline substances.

If you want to see whether or not there is any correlation between your diet and your body’s pH, try recording the food you eat and your urine pH readings for a week. Again, if the pH readings are consistently above or below the ideal range, consult a physician.

Your body’s pH can easily be tested at home using our pH 5-9 test strips. The color chart has distinct color changes from orange to yellow to green, and the measurements are in 0.5 pH units for more accurate readings.

It’s important to consult your physician before making any serious changes to your diet. There are often misconceptions that alkalizing diets can decrease rates of chronic disease, but MayoClinic.com has reported that no scientific evidence suggests such findings. Experts don’t recommend adopting an alkalizing diet to prevent cancer or other diseases, or to treat a serious illness.

Knowing your body’s average pH along with recommended levels gives you a good baseline, and if you find you are consistently above or below the recommended levels, consult a physician to determine whether or not you need to take action.