However, empirical data suggest that this perception does not correspond to reality. See, e.g., Eisenberg & Schwab, supra note 1; Stewart J. Schwab & Theodore Eisenberg, Explaining Constitutional Tort Litigation: The InÂºuence of the Attorney Fees Statute and. the Government as Defendant, 73 Cornell L. Rev. 719 (1988).
Since the acid or alkaline ash designation is based on the residue left on combustion rather than the acidity of the food, foods such as citrus fruits that are generally considered acidic are actually considered alkaline producing in this diet.
Treatment in some reflux-sufferers may require addressing not just the acid in reflux, but also the pepsin. In one tantalizing research paper, alkaline water (pH 8.8) was found to instantly and permanently inactivate pepsin in vitro (ie, in a test tube).