Baking Soda for Cancer Treatment – What Is Known and Unknown

Growing interest and speculation in recent years about the potential of baking soda in cancer treatment have created a need for a closer examination. This article aims to explain, in light of scientific research, whether baking soda is an effective treatment and to detail its potential risks.

Contents

• pH Levels and Cancer
• Baking Soda in Cancer Treatment
• What the Research Says
• Risks
• Alkaline Foods

Baking soda is an alkaline mineral that can effectively neutralize acidity. The microenvironment of cancer cells is acidic, leading to the belief that neutralizing acidity in the body could help fight cancer.

Can consuming basic or alkaline foods and supplements actually change the microenvironment of cancer cells? We will examine this question in detail.

What Is Baking Soda?

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an alkaline, or basic, white powder with a wide range of uses. Found in many homes, this versatile mineral is commonly used for the following household purposes and health benefits:

• A leavening agent for baking
• A toothpaste ingredient: toothpaste containing baking soda reduces plaque, fights gum inflammation, whitens teeth, and reduces oral bleeding
• Relieving heartburn when mixed with water
• Cleaning, for example laundry, pots and pans, and use as a scouring agent
• Soothing insect bites and burns when mixed with water into a paste
• Removing odors from refrigerators and carpets
• A performance aid for athletes: it may increase endurance and alleviate muscle fatigue

pH Levels and Cancer

The pH scale measures how acidic something is. Values range from 0 to 14, with 0 considered the most acidic, such as battery acid, 7 neutral, and 14 the most alkaline, such as liquid drain cleaner.

Baking soda has a pH of 9.5, while the human body has a slightly alkaline pH of approximately 7.4. Your body constantly works to keep pH levels within a normal, healthy range.

Higher acidity has been found in the tissues surrounding treatment-resistant tumors, with pH levels generally ranging from 6.5 to 6.9.

Researchers have largely uncovered the mechanisms behind this increased acidity. In some solid tumors arising in tissues or organs, cells deep within the tumor are in a hypoxic environment, meaning that they lack oxygen.

In a hypoxic environment, cells use anaerobic glycolysis, described as cellular respiration without oxygen, instead of aerobic glycolysis, described as cellular respiration with oxygen. Cancer cells can therefore continue producing energy from sugar molecules even when oxygen is scarce, although the process is less efficient.

When oxygen is lacking, hypoxic cancer cells metabolize glucose into lactic acid, increasing the acidity of the tumor and its surroundings. An acidic environment is more favorable for cancer cell growth and spread to other parts of the body (metastasis).

Does It Help Treat Cancer?

The hypothesis that baking soda might work in cancer treatment is based on the following information:

• Chemotherapy drugs target and kill cancer cells. However, oxygen-deprived, hypoxic cancer cells are resistant to chemotherapy and are more likely to grow and spread.
• Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, is another common cancer treatment. It uses high doses of radioactive energy to kill cancer cells. Hypoxic cancer cells are two to three times more resistant to radiotherapy than oxygenated cells.
• Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that helps the immune system recognize and kill cancer cells. As with other treatments, hypoxic cancer cells respond less well to immunotherapy. The more glucose a tumor consumes, the more acidic its environment becomes and the less effective immunotherapy is.

Scientific studies are ongoing to identify hypoxic cancer cells before treatment begins. Their aim is to improve the effectiveness of cancer treatments by increasing oxygen levels around tumors and reducing acidity.

These scientific findings and ongoing studies, together with baking soda's acid-neutralizing properties, have led to the belief that drinking a mixture of water and baking soda could help reduce acidity in the body and destroy cancer cells.

What Does the Research Say?

Most research on baking soda's effects on cancer cells is based on laboratory experiments and animal studies.

On the other hand, consuming baking soda to make the body alkaline is generally futile and can be harmful in excess. This is because sophisticated buffering systems and balancing mechanisms keep blood pH within a very narrow range (7.35 - 7.45):

The main buffering systems that maintain stable blood pH are:

1. Bicarbonate Buffer System: This system consists of carbon dioxide (CO2) and bicarbonate ions (HCO3-). pH is regulated through the exhalation of carbon dioxide and the kidneys' reabsorption or excretion of bicarbonate. This allows blood pH balance to be adjusted rapidly and effectively.

2. Phosphate Buffer System: The phosphate buffer system works both inside and outside cells. It operates through the conversion between hydrogen phosphate and dihydrogen phosphate ions and is particularly effective in the kidneys and urine.

3. Protein Buffer System: Proteins such as hemoglobin and plasma proteins contribute to pH balance by binding free hydrogen ions. The amino groups in proteins can temporarily bind hydrogen ions, thereby buffering intracellular pH.

4. Hemoglobin Buffer System: Hemoglobin is found in red blood cells. It helps transport carbon dioxide while regulating pH by binding hydrogen ions. When carbon dioxide is returned to the bloodstream, hemoglobin releases free hydrogen ions, supporting pH balance.

To maintain this narrow pH range, the body uses mechanisms such as buffering systems, adjustment of acid-base balance by the kidneys, and regulation of carbon dioxide excretion by the lungs. These systems work continuously to maintain a healthy pH. Consuming alkaline foods is therefore not expected to change blood pH without the body counteracting that change to preserve this balance.

In this context, the use of baking soda to support cancer treatment in humans has so far been based only on hypothetical benefits that have not been proven in human clinical trials. A cautious approach to this supplementary use is advised until more clinical research in humans is available.

An Acidic Environment Is a Consequence of Cancer Development, Not Its Cause!

Cancer cells create an acidic environment around themselves by producing energy very rapidly and slowing blood flow. This lowers the pH in the cancer microenvironment.

A Breast and Colon Cancer Study

A study published in 2018 examined breast and colon cancers in mice and found that giving the mice a mixture of baking soda and water increased activity in tumor cells. What does this mean?

After giving the mice water enriched with sodium bicarbonate, the researchers observed lower acidity around the tumors. Cells that had previously lacked oxygen, or been hypoxic, were reactivated with oxygen. These findings suggest that reducing acidity and reactivating cancer cells with oxygen could make them easier to target and more sensitive to chemotherapy. However, subsequent studies have not supported this prediction. Moreover, the tumor microenvironment in mice is less complex than in humans. 

A Transarterial Chemoembolization Trial

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is often used to treat certain kidney, liver, and neuroendocrine cancers when tumors are too large to remove surgically.

A small clinical trial in 2016 found that an infusion of sodium bicarbonate mixed with chemotherapy drugs could be effective for patients with large liver tumors. Researchers added a 5% sodium bicarbonate solution to the chemotherapy drugs and then performed TACE. Although the study was small, its findings suggest that sodium bicarbonate shows promise when combined with TACE procedures. Larger clinical trials are needed to confirm the results.

Effects of Alkaline Therapy on Chemotherapy Outcomes

BMJ Open published a systematic review in 2016 examining the relationship between dietary acid load and cancer. However, only one study was included, and it found no significant association between bladder cancer risk and dietary acid load. This indicates a lack of strong evidence for the effects of an alkaline diet on cancer.

Risks

Baking soda is considered nontoxic when used in small amounts, but taking large amounts or using it too frequently can cause side effects and health risks.

Side effects of baking soda include:

• Gas
• Increased thirst
• Stomach cramps

Serious side effects include:

• Frequent urination
• Irritability
• Severe headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Weakness
• Slow breathing
• Swelling in the feet or legs
• Blood in the urine or stool

Consult your doctor before consuming baking soda. They can explain how it may interact with your medications and affect your health.

5 and a Half Years in Prison for "Treating Cancer" with Baking Powder

In 2018, Italian doctor Tullio Simoncini was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison after causing a patient's death while claiming to treat cancer with sodium bicarbonate (baking powder). Simoncini claimed that cancer was caused by a fungus and could be treated with sodium bicarbonate injections. He had been struck off the medical register in 2006 because of the unscientific nature of this approach and allegations of involuntary manslaughter. However, he continued practicing in Albania. In 2012, he treated Luca Ernesto Olivotto, a 27-year-old diagnosed with a brain tumor, by injecting sodium bicarbonate. Olivotto died two days later from severe metabolic alkalosis. Simoncini was subsequently found guilty of causing death and professional misconduct and sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison. His assistant, Roberto Gandini, received a 2-year prison sentence.

Alkaline Foods

An alkaline diet is theoretically thought to improve health or prevent cancer by changing the body's pH. However, there is no evidence that foods can change blood pH. Consequently, there is no clear evidence that an alkaline diet is effective in treating cancer.

Nevertheless, foods included in an alkaline diet are also found in many healthy diets and include:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Fresh juices containing only fruits or vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Lentils
• Tofu
• Tempeh

There is no evidence that following this diet will significantly change pH levels in the body. However, it may provide health benefits through the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of fruits and vegetables.

An alkaline diet excludes high-protein foods such as meat and dairy products, making it important to replace these with protein-rich alternatives. People with cancer need more protein to support recovery, and sharply reducing protein intake is not recommended.

Summary

Baking soda is a mineral that can neutralize acidity and has various uses. Because cancer cells thrive in acidic environments, some people believe baking soda may help neutralize acidity in the body and fight cancer.

Baking soda does not prevent or treat cancer, but animal studies and small trials suggest that it could make chemotherapy and other cancer treatments more effective. Although it shows promise as a complementary treatment, its use should be approached cautiously because of the lack of human clinical trials.

A cancer diagnosis is extremely challenging and may lead you to try anything to improve your health. However, it is always best to discuss your wishes with your oncologist before deciding to try alternative practices of this kind. They can assess your individual situation and help determine whether a treatment might be beneficial or harmful.

Consuming moderate amounts of baking soda used in cooking, for example in baked goods, is generally acceptable, but consuming above-average amounts may have adverse consequences.