Vivoo’s pH box measures the acidity and alkalinity of your urine. It can act as an indicator of your dietary acid-base load, or the balance of acid- and alkaline-inducing foods, and help track your intake of fruits, vegetables, and meats.
What is the meaning of pH in urine?
Like other bodily fluids, urine can either be acidic or alkaline. Acidic substances have a pH of less than 7, while alkaline substances have a higher pH. Urine is typically slightly acidic. It has a pH of around 6-7, but the exact pH value can range from 4.5 to 8 [1]. Factors like your diet and medications can affect urine pH.
The primary way your body maintains an optimal acid-base balance is by excreting excess alkalinity or acidity through the urine. Your urine pH level can be increased as a result of many factors, such as an excessive intake of vegetables and fruits. On the other hand, your urine pH level can become acidic if you are dehydrated or consume protein, grains, and sugary foods in excess.
Your Diet’s Effect on Urine pH
The food you eat can change the pH value of your body, but it’s worth noting that this doesn’t apply to your blood pH level. That’s because the human body is equipped with a powerful compensatory mechanism designed to maintain a constant blood pH level. It does so by excreting any excess acid from the body through expiration (i.e., breathing) and urine [3].
Accordingly, your urine pH level provides valuable insights into how your diet affects your body. In general, your diet (i.e., the dietary acid-base load) is the primary factor that affects your urine pH value [7]. For example, foods rich in protein, such as meat, cheese, and eggs are likely to increase the production of acid in the body, which in turn decreases your urine pH level. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables do the opposite.
They’re typically known to increase the production of alkaline compounds in the body, and in turn, increase your urine pH level. Note that the term describing a food’s capacity for acid or base production is called the “potential renal acid load” (PRAL) [6]. Other factors affecting your urine pH level include certain medications.
What is the Normal pH Level in Urine?
The pH level is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is, with a pH of 7 considered neutral. The normal pH level of urine can vary within a range, but typically it is slightly acidic (6-7), with a normal range between 4.5 and 8.0.
Factors such as diet, hydration, medications, and certain medical conditions can influence the pH of urine. For example, a diet high in fruits and vegetables can make urine more alkaline, while a diet high in meat can make it more acidic. It's essential to note that small variations in urine pH are normal, and the body has mechanisms to regulate and maintain the acid-base balance.
Why do you need to balance your urine pH level?
There's a specific pH level at which your body systems function at their best. For instance, your digestive and excretory systems work best in alkaline conditions [8]. Thus, if your body's pH level rises or falls beyond this optimal value, you'd become susceptible to various situations [9]. It is for this reason that some people change their eating habits to balance their urine pH values. Doing this can also help balance the body's pH value.
How Can You Test Urine pH at Home with Vivoo?
Want to find out how acidic or alkaline your urine is at home? With the Vivoo urine test strip, you can now find out what's going on with your body and the pH of your urine at the same time.
Simply download the Vivoo App and scan your strip, and in 90 seconds, the App will tell you how acidic, alkaline, or optimal your urine is.
Vivoo also measures 9 biomarkers like urine pH, calcium, vitamin C, and magnesium. The Vivoo App also provides you with actionable nutrition and lifestyle advice prepared by dietitians so you can improve your non optimal parameters.
How to Evaluate Possible Results?
Vivoo measures your urine pH level and can tell you whether your urine is acidic, alkaline, or optimal. Here’s how you can interpret Vivoo’s results for the pH box:
- Score:5/10, 7/10, 8/10
- Label: Acidic
- Value: 5, 5.5 and 6 pH
What a low urine pH level means
A low urine pH level means that your urine is acidic. There are many reasons why your urine pH level might be acidic, including dehydration. Other situations that can cause your urine pH level to decrease include [4]:
- High-protein diet
- Taking acidic medicatlions
- Excessive alcohol use
- Starvation
- Eating a diet high in protein, grains, and processed foods, especially sugar
If your urine pH level is overly acidic, Vivoo will suggest low-PRAL (i.e., alkaline-promoting) foods for you to eat that’ll help you increase your urine pH level.
- Score:10/10
- Label: Optimal
- Value: 6.5, 7, and 7.5 pH
An optimal urine pH level means that your urine pH level is within the optimal range and that you should maintain it.
- Score:6/10, 6/10, 4/10
- Label: Alkaline
- Value: 8, 8.5 and 9 pH
What a high pH level means
Typically a urine pH value above 7.5 means that your urine is alkaline. The causes of a high urine pH level include [5]:
- A diet high in vegetables and fruits, but low in protein and grains
- Excessive intake of alkaline-forming substances
When Should You Test Urine pH?
Testing urine pH can be important for various reasons:
- Routine tracking: It forms part of regular wellness check-ups to assess overall well-being.
- Diet and Lifestyle Impact: Tracking pH can reveal how diet and lifestyle choices affect body pH levels.
- Metabolic conditions: It assists in identifying conditions affecting the body's acid-base balance.
