What is Alkaline Water? Is it Better than Regular Water?
What is Alkaline Water? Is it Better than Regular Water?
Photo by SANCHI OBERO from cosmopolitan
Alkaline water and the benefits are a new trend that has made its way into the world. Drinking Alkaline water is said to offer a lot of health benefits. It can slow the aging process, regulate your body’s pH levels, and prevent chronic diseases. Alkaline water refers to neutralizing acid levels in the body which normal water can’t do. This controversial health practice is argued over its use by lots of health experts. In this article, we will find out what alkaline water is all about and if it is worth the hype.
What is Alkaline Water?
Alkaline water is water that is ionized which means the pH level of the water is increased. A pH level is a number that measures how acidic and alkaline a substance is on a scale of 0-14. For example, if the level is one, it means the substance is acidic. If it’s 13, it’s alkaline. The pH level of alkaline water is around 8 or 9, the pH level of normal water is 7, and it is neutral. It is said that alkaline water can help people with acidity since it neutralizes the acid in the body due to its alkaline nature. This procedure of neutralizing acids in the body can prevent many ailments.
There are many ways to raise the alkaline properties of water. Alkaline levels are raised by using faucet attachments, special filters, and additives that will increase the pH levels, hence making normal water alkaline. Your body secretes out most juices and these juices are acidic to the body. Alkaline water can neutralize the acid. It is suggested to have food that is at least 70 percent alkaline and 30% acidic. Once it is consumed, the pH of the body will be neutral. Alkaline water is recommended when you aren’t consuming food that isn’t balancing the pH levels in your body.
Does Alkaline water really work?
Alkaline water is somewhat controversial. Some health professionals say there is not sufficient research to support the health claims made by users and sellers. Differences in research findings can be related to the kinds of alkaline water studies. As per the Mayo Clinic, regular water is great for many people. They say that there is no evidence that can verify the claims which are made by alkaline water’ supporters. However, there are some studies that recommend alkaline water can be helpful for specific conditions.
A study of 100 people found a key difference in blood viscosity after getting high-pH water when compared to regular water after a strenuous workout. Viscosity is the measurement of how blood flows via our vessels.
Those people who had consumed high-pH water decreased their viscosity by 6.3% compared to 3.36% with normal drinking water. This means blood flowed more effectively with alkaline water. It can raise oxygen delivery throughout your body.
More research is required beyond these small studies but the results are interesting to note.
Supporters of alkaline water believe that alkaline water has the following proposed health advantages:
Anti-aging features (via liquid antioxidants that can absorb rapidly into our body)
Hydration, and other detoxifying properties
Properties of colon-cleansing
support for Immune system
Skin health
Weight loss
Cancer resistance
They argue that soft drinks have positive ORP’s (Oxidation-reduction potential) and can cause some health issues while suitably ionized and alkalinized waters will have negative ORP’s. Green tea is enriched with antioxidants and contains a slightly negative ORP.
What Makes Alkaline Water Different?
Water is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen. That is why we call it water. The pH level of water determines how acidic it is and ranges from 0-14. A pH of 7 is considered neutral. If water is below seven on the pH scale, it is acidic. If it is higher than seven, it is alkaline. EPA instructions say that the pH of the water should lie between 6.5 to 8.5 yet, tap water in the United States tends to fall below that in the 4.3-5.3 range depending on where you live.
Bottled water falls under different standards. Bottled alkaline water contains a pH level above 7. In most cases, manufacturers use a special device for changing the chemical makeup of the water or they can also add nutrients to the water for changing its ph. For comparison, orange juice has a pH of 3.3 and black coffee is about five.
Benefits of Alkaline water
Alkaline water and health
While anecdotal evidence recommends that the pH of water can be relevant to health there are no firm data to support this. But focusing on the pH level of our water can be somewhat beside the point. If alkaline water is useful and helpful, it can be due to the minerals that it has instead of its pH level. Data does indicate that consuming alkaline and hard H2O can increase overall body alkalinity. This isn’t a benefit for everyone however. For instance, if somebody has a kidney condition, or is taking a medication that alters kidney function, most of the minerals in alkaline water can start to accumulate in the body. For these people, high alkalinity can lead to negative side impacts.
Alkaline water and hydration status
Athletes and exercisers are the people who benefit from drinking this water. It is Because alkaline water can let active people keep more fluid in their cardiovascular system while reducing their urine output as well as blood osmolality. That is essential because high plasma osmolality is associated with an elevated risk of death from stroke. The research recommends that these impacts cannot be instantaneous, but rather, gradual.
Alkaline water can improve the overall hydration status of active people over time. Appropriate hydration is important to our health but again, more research is required.
Exercise
Physical activity and diet may change the pH balance. A diet high in fresh vegetables will result in greater alkalinity. So alkaline water’s benefits can be clearer in people who don’t exercise or those who eat a Western diet of processed foods. In the meantime, people who exercise and eat a healthy diet can fail to notice much change from drinking alkaline water. But even if they do not notice a change, active people can benefit from alkaline water for reasons that go beyond improved hydration. Intense exercise can spur our muscles making more hydrogen ions than our body can remove. Fatigue increases. Drinking alkaline water can enhance the body’s buffering capacity as well as temper acidity, thus improving our performance. Mineral supplements can reduce cardio-respiratory stress as well as blood lactate responses while it can also improve power output in endurance athletes. That is why long-distance runners sometimes supplement with sodium bicarbonate. This practice will look to support the benefits of mineralized water.
Toxins
Tap water is disinfected to protect us from bacteria or toxins but when disinfectants interact with organic matter that is present in the tap water, disinfectant by-products will form also. DBP’s may lead to health and environmental issues – a better reason to avoid them. Alkaline water looks to break down a few DBP’s, neutralizing their dangers to us. In the meantime, alkaline urine can draw environmental toxins and pharmaceuticals from our bodies which is another benefit. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, other DBPs can thrive in an alkaline environment. All in all, alkaline water isn’t essentially better at protecting us from toxins.
Gut health
ORP (Oxidation-reduction potential) is a measure of the solution’s tendency to gain as well as lose electrons when it’s subject to alter by introducing new species. ORP influences bacteria in the gut. Electrochemically activated water possesses a negative oxidation-reduction potential which means it can offer more disinfectant properties helping to protect us from dangerous microorganisms.
Glycation
It is a reaction that will take place when sugar molecules like fructose and glucose, are attached to proteins and lipid fats without any enzyme moderation. This results in the rogue molecules’ formation which is called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are associated with health risks like Alzheimer’s and diabetes. Ionized water can result in lowered glycation levels as well as reduced liver damage in rats. Now, rats aren’t humans, and it’s tricky to extrapolate directly from animal studies to human health.
Is It Safe?
If you do not have kidney disease, alkaline water does not pose any serious health risks. The high pH can make your skin dry and itchy or cause an upset stomach, but that is about it. Just because it may be safe for you doesn’t mean it will be anything for you either.
Alkaline water side effects
Though alkaline water is considered safe for consumption it can have some negative side effects too. One of the side effects is that while it can alkalize your body, there’s a chance that excessive consumption can ruin the natural acids of your stomach killing the good bacteria. Additionally, excessive alkalinity in your body can cause issues in the gastrointestinal tract and skin. Another negative side effect is the lowering of natural stomach acidity, which can kill bacteria and expel other unwanted pathogens from entering your bloodstream. Too much alkalinity can agitate the body’s normal pH, leading to metabolic alkalosis, a condition that can produce the following symptoms:
Nausea
Vomiting
Hand tremors
Muscle twitching
Tingling in the extremities or face
Confusion
Alkalosis can cause a reduction in free calcium in the body, which can effect bone health. However, some common cause of hypocalcemia is not from drinking alkaline water, but from having an underactive parathyroid gland.
Is Alkaline water better than regular water?
For some people, plain water is good. Bottled water sold as alkaline water is subject to regulation by the United States. Food and Drug Administration. Alkaline water has nutrients that are added to it for gaining an alkaline pH. Because alkaline water has a higher pH level than plain tap water, proponents say that it may neutralize the acid in your bloodstream. However, research recommends that alkaline water is unlikely to change blood pH. Most studies recommend that alkaline water can help slow bone loss, but it isn’t clear if the benefit is maintained over the long term. Many say that alkaline water can prevent diseases, such as cancer and heart disease but there is small credible evidence to support such claims.
To Sum it Up!
Do your research and consult your health professionals about alkaline water. It’s a trend right now that could have great benefits for the body but for some, it could risky. Know what it does in your body before consuming it regularly.