Scientific Evidence for AlkaPlex® (formerly Alka-Plex®)

The Patented Creation of the AlkaPlex® Granule, and Its Benefits

The AlkaPlex Granule

AlkaPlex has two distinguishing characteristics:

1. It reduces acidity in foods and beverages without damaging flavor; and
2. When ingested it works to balance the complex and critical acid-alkaline relationship in the human body

The Structure of the Granule

AlkaPlex consists entirely of ingredients the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has designated as “GRAS” (generally recognized as safe). It is a mineral-based, crystalline composition produced using a patented process. The combination of GRAS ingredients and its precise composition permits the FDA to recognize AlkaPlex as a New Dietary Ingredient under the DSHEA regulations.

AlkaPlex granules are made by using microscopic calcium carbonate carrier particles to hold extremely reactive magnesium hydroxide, potassium chloride and potassium hydroxide (i.e. magnesium and potassium salts). Calcium carbonate is chosen because it does not react with the magnesium and potassium salts and is a stable carrier for those components. The microscopic carrier particles are coated with micro-crystalline cellulose and croscarmellose sodium. Then the particles are assembled into granules. Diagram 1 is a schematic AlkaPlex granule.


The particular characteristics of the AlkaPlex granule are built upon a central paradigm of material science that the structure (not the composition) largely controls the functions of the material. This is a concept that the discipline of chemistry often finds difficult to evaluate.

Granule Characteristics

The AlkaPlex granule is unusually resilient. It does not disintegrate into a powder when pressed. The highly reactive salts are held in a matrix and are slow to react. As a result, the product has an extraordinarily long shelf life (well in excess of the FDA mandatory three-year maximum). The slow reactivity of the crystal is an important element of the product’s effectiveness. A comparison of the AlkaPlex titration curve and the sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) titration curve is a good indication of this (see the two diagrams immediately below).

The test starts with two beakers each with 150ml of room temperature hydrochloric acid (HCl) with standard 2.0 pH. Exactly .37 grams of AlkaPlex is added to one beaker and the same amount of sodium bicarbonate is added to the second beaker. The alkaline materials raise the pH levels of the hydrochloric acid over a period of time. The change in acidity is called the titration curve. The resulting titration curves reveal interesting contrasts between the materials:

• AlkaPlex granules release the alkalizing agents in two gradual steps whereas the bicarbonate is one, almost instantaneous, reaction.
• AlkaPlex granules are tasteless and quickly neutralize the acids in foods and beverages. Bicarbonate is very difficult to blend with any food.
• Bicarbonate produces gas while neutralizing hydrochloric acid which, if released in the gut, produces discomfort. AlkaPlex seldom produces gaseous discomfort.
• The first gradual AlkaPlex release takes about 15 minutes to raise the pH of hydrochloric acid to 6.0. This is about the same acid neutralizing power as sodium bicarbonate. But, sodium bicarbonate raises the pH of hydrochloric acid in seconds, not minutes.
• The second AlkaPlex release takes about one hour to raise the pH of hydrochloric acid to 6.8 (7.0 is neutral). Bicarbonate has no such second release.
• For comparison purposes, AlkaPlex removes about seven times (7x) more free H⁺ ions than bicarbonate.
• The gradual release of the AlkaPlex alkalizing agents probably results in greater absorption of alkalizing agents in the blood and through the intestinal tract. Therefore, significantly less AlkaPlex is needed to impact body pH than is the case with bicarbonate.
• The hydroxyl ions (OH^-) in AlkaPlex are likely to be transported and absorbed through the small intestine more readily than the bicarbonate ion (HCO₃^-) due to the much smaller ion size and the more gradual release of the AlkaPlex ions.

Coffee is an excellent example to describe the potential demand for AlkaPlex as a food acidity reducing product. It is estimated that 35-40 million American adults have decreased or eliminated coffee consumption because of stomach discomfort. Certain coffee acids damage stomach mucosal membranes. AlkaPlex neutralizes those very reactive acids without damaging flavor-causing compounds in the coffee. AlkaPlex makes the coffee more stomach friendly without damaging flavor.

Similarly, wine, tomato-based products, and certain salad dressings are seeing decreased consumption among baby boomers. The unifying reason is sensitivity to dietary acids.

Dietary changes over the last two centuries have resulted in a mismatch with genetically-determined nutritional requirements in humans. Estimates of the net systemic acid load on contemporary humans, when compared to the diet of pre-agricultural Homo sapiens, leads researchers to conclude that contemporary diets generate diet-induced arterial blood pH that ranges in the lower levels of “normal” and are referred to as “low-grade metabolic acidosis.” As a result, wide-spread, chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis is becoming prevalent in athletes and many persons over 30 years old.

Broad AlkaPlex Benefit 2 - Improving Performance in Competitive Athletes

Based on tests given to healthy athletes, AlkaPlex has been shown to help balance the complex mechanisms regulating pH levels and fundamental biochemical functions in the human body. In a pilot study with one competitive athlete, a medical doctor measured blood lactate levels in the athlete working to exhaustion. Blood lactate levels rise as muscle pain and fatigue sets in. Diagram 4, entitled “Lactate Levels of a Competitive Athlete Working to Exhaustion,” shows the lactate levels after an athlete had worked to complete exhaustion on three efforts.

The last two efforts, the athlete was taking AlkaPlex. AlkaPlex has a clear physiological impact on reducing the athlete’s blood lactate levels and hence muscle pain at complete exhaustion. Diagram 5, entitled “Work Performed by Same Competitive Athlete Working to Exhaustion” indicates the athlete performed considerably more work before reaching exhaustion while taking AlkaPlex.

The conclusion is that athletes, soldiers, and others working under severe physical stress may not tire as quickly and may have untapped reserves available to them if they are taking AlkaPlex.

The “wall” that marathon runners hit after 20 miles of running may be moved out considerably. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has reviewed the AlkaPlex composition and has determined there are no prohibited ingredients in the product. Tests have shown improved endurance and stamina, faster muscle recovery, and less pain and less cramping in athletes taking various doses of AlkaPlex.

What works for healthy athletes also works for an aging population that is beginning to “feel” its age.

Broad AlkaPlex Benefit 3 – Improving Health of an Aging Population

A healthy human body works best, and its chemistry functions most effectively, when it is slightly alkaline. Blood pH in a healthy body lies within a narrow alkaline range of 7.35 to 7.45. “Chronic, low-grade acidosis” arising from excess dietary acids must be distinguished from “acidosis.”

Acidosis is a medical condition which occurs from a pH imbalance where blood pH drops below 7.35. Acidosis is life threatening.

The human body performs heroic measures and compromises essential functions to keep blood pH in the narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45 pH. Therein lays many of the health problems that arise with “chronic, low-grade acidosis” associated with aging.

As we age, body functions become less efficient. Organs and body systems do not work as efficiently as they do for young people. The healthy acid/alkaline balance can easily lean toward too much acid creating acidic stress on the body.

Also, metabolic events—ranging from marathon running to traumatic ailments—can unsettle the acid/alkaline balance. When the body’s pH balancing systems are stressed the body reacts to keep blood pH levels within the low/normal range of 7.35. When this acidic stress is persistent, the condition is described as “chronic, low-grade acidosis.”

Root Cause Response has several AlkaPlex based products that relieve distress in certain body systems caused by chronic, low-grade acidosis. These broad applications arise from a systemic acid imbalance that is present in most people over 30 years old and is increasingly evident among people over 40.

pH Balancing for the Digestive System

We have the first new (patented) antacid in over twenty (20) years based on the AlkaPlex formula. Current antacid formulas are really buffers and rely on large amounts of calcium carbonate. Calcium may make the stomach feel better but it is a mere palliative. Worse, slow-acting but widely advertised proton pump inhibitors are detrimental to the digestive process and contribute to acidic stress.

RCR's "Digestion" formula is an extremely powerful alkalizing agent (eleven times more powerful than extra-strength TUMS^® and has essential minerals and considerably less calcium than any other antacid (there is increasing evidence that U.S. consumers are beginning to overdose on calcium). It improves and strengthens the digestive tract while providing immediate relief from acid indigestion.

Lower Digestive Tract Health

AlkaPlex, if delivered in correct doses and dissolve rates, is an effective agent to improve intestinal tract health and reduce the diarrhea and abdominal pain symptoms of certain symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS effects up to 15% of the population in Western countries and increases frequency with age. Pre-clinical trials are in the planning stage with a major naturopathic university.

Urinary Tract Health

If delivered in correct doses and dissolve rates, AlkaPlex is an effective agent in reducing the symptoms of frequency and urgency of urination. About 68 million people in the U.S. suffer from urgency and frequency symptoms. The initial product tests targeted persons suffering from interstitial cystitis (IC), a particularly troubling condition with urinary urgency and frequency.

There are three primary symptoms of IC—urinary frequency (i.e. a need to urinate as often as every 20 minutes day and night), urinary urgency (i.e. an immediate, compelling need to urinate) and pelvic pain. IC is primarily a condition of middle aged women and often follows a traumatic event or child birth. There is no identified cause of IC and there are no effective cures for the condition. Urinary urgency and frequency is reduced by 34% within two weeks of taking Alka-Plex for most IC sufferers.

The following diagram shows data from a field study of a product, pH Control, made from AlkaPlex, given to persons diagnosed with IC.



Gum Health

When delivered in a test toothpaste form, AlkaPlex is an effective agent in reducing inflammation, infection, and bleeding in gums. Abnormal gum bleeding is often prevalent in persons with chronic, low-grade acidosis and is also associated with aging. Three studies, including a double blind, placebo-controlled study at the University of Washington, has shown that an AlkaPlex based toothpaste reduces gum bleeding in as fast as two weeks. The data from one study is presented below.

In that study, ten subjects with severely bleeding gums (an average of 122 bleeding points) were asked to brush once a day with AlkaPlex toothpaste. Bleeding was reduced to an average of seven (7) bleeding points.

Joint Health

AlkaPlex is added to the diet. This eliminates the need for drugs and their serious negative effects on heart health.

AlkaPlex for Increased Absorption of Nutraceuticals

AlkaPlex, when combined with other botanical dietary supplements can improve the absorption of those products. For example, an important active ingredient in garlic (allicin) is quickly broken down by stomach acids. If it is combined with AlkaPlex, the stomach acids are neutralized, absorption is improved and over thirty (30) times more allicin is absorbed by the body.

pH Balancing for General Health

We are planning on releasing a group of products that promote healthy aging. As humans age, their ability to neutralize acids at the cellular level is reduced. Certain fundamental chemical functions in the body are changed or stop if intra- and inter-cellular pH levels tend toward 7.35. Highly acidic foods compound the problem. Wide-ranging ailments can begin to appear if intra- and inter-cellular acid/alkaline relationships are out of balance. Considerable research is being done in this area. About 4.5 million people turn 50 every year in the U.S. Baby boomers are turning toward health as a major concern. Baby boomers are driving a trend toward healthy aging just as they have driven many U.S. trends in the past.

Maintaining Health

After age 40, a metabolic pH imbalance often begins to appear in a person’s body. That imbalance—chronic, low-grade metabolic acidosis—is associated with chronic discomfort in a wide range of body functions that are associated with the “aging process.” These symptoms do not have to persist because AlkaPlex granules, when delivered appropriately will alleviate many of the most troubling symptoms naturally.

Improving Energy: AlkaPlex, when taken in appropriate doses, increases energy levels and reduces muscle fatigue and soreness that often accompanies physical exertion.

Additional AlkaPlex Research Articles
· Acidosis - An Old Idea Validated by New Research
· Summary of AlkaPlex Scientific Data
· AlkaPlex Research Technical Data
· Exercise and Metabolic Acidosis
· Cooper Sports Elite Bicyclists Final (AlkaPlex) Report
· AlkaPlex Effect on Urine Acid
· AlkaPlex Safety References

Structure-Function Claims for AlkaPlex with Scientific Documentation