Are Alkaline Foods the Panacea for Coronavirus?

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By T.V. Antony Raj
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A couple of days ago I saw a message on a Tamil TV news channel that said the pH value of the novel coronavirus ranges from 5.5 to 8.5? It also said that consumption of alkaline foods above the virus’s pH level prevents its spread and cures this deadly infection.

Also, I came across similar messages on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp attributing this information to research published in the Journal of Virology.

The message further lists down the pH values of different food items such as avocado, lemon, orange, garlic, among others:

Avocado 12.6
Dandelion 12.7
Garlic 13.2
Lemon 9.9
Lime 8.2
Mango 8.7
Orange 9.2
Pineapple 12.7
Tangerine 8.7

It continues by saying “All we need to do, to beat coronavirus, we need to take more of an alkaline foods that are above the above pH levels of the virus.” (sic)

Is this claim true? No!

The study quoted in the research dates back to 1991 and published in the Journal of Virology with the title ‘Alteration of the pH Dependence of Coronavirus-Induced Cell Fusion: Effect of Mutations in the Spike Glycoprotein’ by researchers Thomas M. Gallagher, Cristina Escarmis, and Michael J. Buchmeier.

The abstract of the study mentions that it is about coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus type 4 (MHV4) and COVID-19 is a new strain of virus that was not known in the 1990s. It reads:

“Infection of susceptible murine cells with the coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus type 4 (MHV4) results in extensive cell-cell fusion at pHs from 5.5 to 8.5.”

During the present pandemic, many people searching for useful health information to ward off the deadly coronavirus have started believing many things that are not true.

According to many health experts, this claim about consuming alkaline foods to increase the body’s pH level to create an environment that is deadly to the virus is untrue. There is no evidence nor enough data to prove and support this claim.

We must understand that a virus does not have a pH.

Our body regulates pH levels. Our diet can change only the pH level of our waste products such as our urine and saliva but not the pH levels in our blood cells or tissues of our body.

Yet, there is no treatment or cure for the coronavirus. So, eating alkaline foods cannot cure or prevent coronavirus. Yet, a healthy and balanced diet can help boost our immunity, which in turn can help us fight the deadly virus.

RELATED ARTICLES

Coronavirus: Can an alkaline diet help you fight the infection? We tell you the truth (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
No pH Value of COVID-19, Experts Deny Its Link With Alkaline Food (thequint.com)
Alteration of the pH Dependence of Coronavirus-Induced Cell Fusion: Effect of Mutations in the Spike Glycoprotein (jvi.asm.org)

One thought on “Are Alkaline Foods the Panacea for Coronavirus?”

Alkaline food habit (found more in raw vegetables and by avoiding acidic food like animal products/processed food) is generally better for health as it builds immunity, anti-inflammatory, improves digestion, etc. Lot of literature are available on the benefits of alkaline foods. However, as you said I’m not sure about it killing the novel COVID-19 and variants. But it is certainly not harmful to keep your food habit alkaline. I’m trying it even though fully vaccinated.

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