http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002749.htm I wish they said what constituted a “large amount”…. yikes.
wickedchicken / Originally posted on Alkaline water: a scam?
Answer:
Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) intoxication can be devastating, especially in infants. The 1995 paper “Baking Soda: A Potentially Fatal Home Remedy” in Pediatric Emergency Care led Arm & Hammer to start placing warning labels against use in children under 5 on all their cartons.Too much bicarbonate can overwhelm our kidneys’ ability to excrete it, leading to a metabolic alkalosis, which can lead to seizures or even death.
To answer your question, as little as a few pinches can sicken an infant, but based on the series of case reports in adults it appears to take tablespoons for folks with normal kidney function to get into trouble. This is why I encourage anyone trying the three-quarters-of-a-teaspoon-per-quart of water regimen suggested in Alkaline water: a scam? to do it under the supervision of a physician to make sure you don’t have a condition that would preclude such a trial. And there are other ways to lower blood pressure without fear of toxicity: see, for example, my video Fill in the Blank.
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