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Low levels of bicarbonate in the blood of healthy, elderly adults could actually raise the threat of early death, say researchers at the University of Utah.

The bicarbonate and carbon dioxide in their bloodstream are regulated by their lungs and kidneys, so that they can keep healthy pH levels, permitting their cells to work. The team probed whether abnormal acid­-base levels affect their health or not.

Information was analysed and assessed from healthy black and white adults aged between 70 and 79 years in 1997, recorded by Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. Its participants were studied for about 10 years, and documented until February 2014.

How did the pH, bicarbonate and carbon dioxide levels affect their health? It was found that the threat of death for adults with "either high or normal bicarbonate blood levels" was just like those of other groups while those who exhibited lower levels of bicarbonate seemed to be 24 percent more likely to face death.

"What we found was that generally healthy older people with low levels of bicarbonate had a higher risk of death," Dr. Kalani Raphael said in a press release. "Adding the pH measurement into the equation didn't change the results, which is important because pH is not routinely measured."

By checking their blood bicarbonate levels, patients can be counselled to consume more fruits and vegetables in order to boost their bicarbonate levels.

The study was published in the January 2016 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.