According a study done by Cambridge University, an ingredient of baking soda which is part of human body could be used to detect cancer through MRI. The study has been published in the recent issue of science magazine 'Nature'. According to the researchers normally the human body has a system of balancing chemicals with a low pH (acids) and chemicals with a high pH (alkalis) to maintain a constant, healthy pH level, but, in cancer, this balancing system is disturbed, and the tissue becomes more acidic.
 

Now, by using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), cancer tissues which become more acidic compared to the balanced ones around them can be detected in early stage. With over 20,000 times sensitivity MRI gives clear image of molecules. The advance MRI technology and developed scanning technology have made it possible to detect those molecules which are used by cancer cells to make energy and growth. Early detection would certainly help in treatment of the disease.