How pH Balance and Hydrogen Ions May Affect Cancer Development

The acid and base levels in your body's cells might be super important for how cancer develops and spreads, which could help scientists figure out new ways to prevent and treat it—but scientists need to do more research to prove it actually works.

Hydrogen ion dynamics and acid-base balance may play fundamental roles in cancer development and progression, though the evidence presented is preliminary and requires further empirical research.

This review article examines how the concentration of hydrogen ions (charged hydrogen atoms) in the body affects cancer development and progression. The authors propose that understanding hydrogen ion balance may help explain how cancer cells behave and grow, and suggest it could eventually inform cancer prevention and treatment strategies. However, the article presents preliminary ideas rather than new experimental results, and the authors acknowledge that more research is needed to prove these connections.

This is a theoretical review article, not a study testing hydrogen water or hydrogen gas in humans. It does not provide evidence about hydrogen water's effects on cancer. The article's focus on hydrogen ions in general biochemistry is distinct from molecular hydrogen (H₂) used in hydrogen water products, so this review does not directly inform decisions about hydrogen water consumption.

AbstractThe concentration of hydrogen ions plays a critical role in all biochemical processes, including multiple enzymatic reactions, and in the regulation of metabolism. The acid‐base aspects of metabolism as applied to cancer are considered. Preliminary data are presented. The primary concept…

Read the full abstract on PubMed