pH Balance Links Brain Disease to Cancer, Opens New Treatment Paths
Hydrogen Ion Dynamics as the Fundamental Link between Neurodegenerative Diseases and Cancer: Its Application to the Therapeutics of Neurodegenerative Diseases with Special Emphasis on Multiple Sclerosis
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System
- Evidence type
- Review or commentary
- Authors
- Salvador Harguindey, Khalid Alfarouk, Julián Polo Orozco, Stephan J Reshkin, Jesús Devesa
- Journal
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Year
- 2022
- PMID
- 35269597
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 5 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Spain
TL;DR
Cancer and neurological diseases like MS might actually be opposite problems with how cells handle acid and base levels, kind of like one disease makes cells too acidic inside while the other makes them too alkaline—and fixing these chemical imbalances could be a whole new way to treat these diseases.
Summary
Scientists have developed a groundbreaking theory connecting cancer and neurodegenerative diseases through pH balance. Their analysis suggests these conditions represent opposite ends of a spectrum controlled by hydrogen ion dynamics inside and outside cells. Multiple sclerosis, used as a key example, may actually be a metabolic disease before becoming autoimmune. The researchers found that pH imbalance, mitochondrial problems, and gut bacteria dysfunction all contribute to brain degeneration. This new understanding could lead to innovative treatments that focus on restoring proper acid-base balance rather than just managing symptoms, potentially revolutionizing how we treat neurological diseases.
Abstract (excerpt)
The pH-related metabolic paradigm has rapidly grown in cancer research and treatment. In this contribution, this recent oncological perspective has been laterally assessed for the first time in order to integrate neurodegeneration within the energetics of the cancer acid-base conceptual frame…