Bicarbonates
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![]() | "Descrizione" about Bicarbonates by Al222 (20718 pt) | 2024-Mar-06 09:50 | ![]() |
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Bicarbonates (HCO3-) are chemical compounds containing the bicarbonate anion. These compounds play a pivotal role in various biological processes, including the regulation of pH in body fluids. Bicarbonate acts as a buffer, helping to maintain the stability of the pH of blood and other fluids, thus preventing excessive fluctuations that could harm cells and tissues. Naturally, bicarbonates are found dissolved in water, especially in fresh and marine waters, and are essential for aquatic life. They are also key components of the carbon cycle, contributing to the conversion of carbon dioxide into organic matter by plants and returning CO2 to the atmosphere through respiration and decomposition.
In industrial and household contexts, bicarbonates, such as sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), are used in cooking as leavening agents, in cleaning as mild abrasive agents, and in medicine to treat stomach acidity.
Bicarbonates in mineral waters serve various functions, some of which are considered beneficial for human health, while others may have less desirable effects. Here's a summary of their main positive and negative functions:
Positive Functions
pH Regulation. Bicarbonates help maintain a balanced pH in mineral water, making it slightly alkaline (1). This can help neutralize acidity in the stomach, improving digestion and reducing the risk of heartburn and indigestion.
Bone Health. Mineral water rich in bicarbonates can have a positive effect on bone health (2). Studies suggest that consuming bicarbonate-rich mineral waters may help prevent osteoporosis by increasing bone density.
Urinary Diseases. Regular consumption of mineral waters containing bicarbonates can help prevent the formation of kidney stones (3). Bicarbonates increase urinary pH, making the crystallization of certain types of stones less likely.
Negative Functions
Interference with Gastric Acidity. Although the ability of bicarbonates to neutralize acidity can be advantageous, in some cases, it may interfere with normal digestion (4). Excessively alkaline pH in the stomach can reduce the effectiveness of protein digestion and the absorption of certain minerals.
Potential Sodium Overload. Some bicarbonate mineral waters also contain high levels of sodium. Excessive consumption of these waters can lead to a sodium overload, particularly concerning for people with hypertension or heart diseases.
Risk of Metabolic Alkalosis. Excessive consumption of bicarbonates can lead to a condition known as metabolic alkalosis (5), where the blood's pH becomes excessively alkaline. This condition can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, confusion, and in severe cases, shock or coma.
Conclusion
Bicarbonates in mineral waters can offer several health benefits, but it's important to consume them in moderation and consider any existing health conditions that might be negatively affected by their consumption.
Always consult your doctor.
References_____________________________________________________________________
(1) Casey JR. Why bicarbonate? Biochem Cell Biol. 2006 Dec;84(6):930-9. doi: 10.1139/o06-184. PMID: 17215880.
Abstract. Bicarbonate is a simple single carbon molecule that plays surprisingly important roles in diverse biological processes. Among these are photosynthesis, the Krebs cycle, whole-body and cellular pH regulation, and volume regulation. Since bicarbonate is charged it is not permeable to lipid bilayers. Mammalian membranes thus contain bicarbonate transport proteins to facilitate the specific transmembrane movement of HCO3(-). This review provides a wide-ranging view of the biochemistry of bicarbonate and its membrane transporters, revealing what makes the study of bicarbonate transport such a rewarding activity.
(2) Bushinsky DA, Krieger NS. Effects of acid on bone. Kidney Int. 2022 Jun;101(6):1160-1170. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2022.02.032.
(3) Kalaitzidis, R. G., Damigos, D., & Siamopoulos, K. C. (2014). Environmental and stressful factors affecting the occurrence of kidney stones and the kidney colic. International urology and nephrology, 46, 1779-1784.
Abstract. The first renal disease described from Hippocrates is nephrolithiasis with renal colic, which is the pain of stone passage and is also a common renal problem with easily recognizable characteristics. There has been much written about dietary factors, which have unequivocally been proved to play an important role in the formation of kidney stones. In this regard, it is of interest that the contribution of factors such as stressful events, life style, or occupation in the formation of kidney stones has not been well studied. This review examines the clinical evidence of the stressful events and other environmental factors affecting the occurrence of kidney stones.
(4) Odes, H. S., Hogan, D. L., Steinbach, J. H., Ballesteros, M. A., Koss, M. A., & Isenberg, J. I. (1992). Measurement of gastric bicarbonate secretion in the human stomach: different methods produce discordant results. Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology, 27(10), 829-836.
Abstract. Human gastric bicarbonate secretion has been measured by back-titration, from pH and pressure of carbon dioxide (Pco2) determinations (using the Henderson-Hasselbalch formula), and from equations based on gastric juice osmolality and [H+] (osmolality-[H+] method). Since these methods show large quantitative differences in their estimations of gastric bicarbonate secretion, we examined each to define the reasons for these discrepancies and establish guidelines for future work in this area. Bicarbonate recovery from ‘non-parieta' secretions (0 to 80 mM HCO3) reacting with ‘pure parietal secretion' (160mM HC1) was studied both in vitro and in the pylorus-occluded healthy human stomach during acid suppression, exogenous acidification, and pentagastrin stimulation. The pH/Pco2 method estimated HC03 accurately under anaerobic conditions in vitro, whereas the osmolality-[H+] method (with correction factors for osmolality incorporated by us) was accurate under aerobic conditions. In the acid-suppressed stomach back-titration was significantly more accurate than the pH/Pco2 method. In the exogenously acidified and pentagastrin-stimulated stomachs the pH/Pco2 method underestimated bicarbonates, and the osmolality-[H+] method was spuriously elevated in the low range and diminished at high bicarbonate concentrations. Estimates of'basa' bicarbonate secretion (at zero added bicarbonate) were severalfold higher by the osmolality-[H+] method (5.26 ± 0.33 mmol/h) than by the pH/Pco2 method (1.20 ± 0.23 mmol/h) or back-titration (0.65 ± 0.14 mmol/h). In conclusion, gastric bicarbonate was determined most correctly by back-titration in the acid-suppressed stomach, whereas measurement of bicarbonate in the acid-secreting stomach was not accurate with any method.
(5) Emmett, M. (2020). Metabolic alkalosis: A brief pathophysiologic review. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology: CJASN, 15(12), 1848.
Abstract. Metabolic alkalosis is a very commonly encountered acid-base disorder that may be generated by a variety of exogenous and/or endogenous, pathophysiologic mechanisms. Multiple mechanisms are also responsible for the persistence, or maintenance, of metabolic alkalosis. Understanding these generation and maintenance mechanisms helps direct appropriate intervention and correction of this disorder. The framework utilized in this review is based on the ECF volume-centered approach popularized by Donald Seldin and Floyd Rector in the 1970s. Although many subsequent scientific discoveries have advanced our understanding of the pathophysiology of metabolic alkalosis, that framework continues to be a valuable and relatively straightforward diagnostic and therapeutic model.
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