Potential Renal Acid LoadPotential Renal Acid Load (PRAL) is a calculated value of certain nutrients in food that have the most significant indication of changing acidity or alkalinity of the body. PRAL is a precise calculation from 5 nutrient values in food, but it is not an exact measure. It is a shortcut measure to assess the affect of foods on the pH of the body. Potential renal acid load experiments show that PRAL is a reliable approximation of the pH effect of foods. It is calculated from:
Acid forming foods have a positive range, alkaline forming foods have a negative range. For adequate nutrition it is important to chose a combination of foods with positive and negative PRAL values. You need some acid forming foods, but you must balance these with sufficient alkaline forming foods to give an overall negative total. As far as I know, there is no target value to aim at. For gout, an alkalizing diet reduces the chances of kidney stones forming, and helps to dissolve them if they form. It is important to also drink plenty of water to flush the dissolved salts from the kidneys. Another effect, for gout, is that uric acid is more soluble in alkaline conditions. Though the pH of the blood is tightly regulated by the body, a tiny percentage increase in alkalinity is probably enough to dissolve slightly more uric acid. Again, it is vital to keep hydrated to ensure that the dissolved uric acid can be flushed from the body. In the Gout Food Section, I have calculated PRAL values for all the foods in the USDA National Nutrient Database. I have divided these values into several tables, and have added a PRAL table introduction for gout sufferers.
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