Alkaline Water
Water is among the most essential things that humans need to survive. Water provides numerous benefits to one’s body, such as replenishing the cells, increasing energy levels, and enhancing blood circulation. Moreover, water promotes the proper absorption of nutrients and minerals in the body.
Without drinking a sufficient amount of water, a person becomes more at risk of dehydration and other health issues. They may also suffer from kidney stones, digestive problems, and deterioration of the immune system.
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Among the different types of drinking water you can consider, alkaline water is believed to provide additional health benefits. To know more about it, continue reading this article.
Things To Know About Alkaline Water
Table of Contents
Tap water, spring water, mineral water, and alkaline water are some of the most popular types of drinking water available today. Among these types of water, alkaline water is one of the most controversial. That’s because many people have varying opinions about the benefits of alkaline water on one’s body.
You might’ve heard about the many health claims of drinking alkaline water. For instance, many people believe that it can help slow down the aging process, prevent the risks of chronic diseases, and regulate one’s pH levels. But before asking about its health benefits, you must first know what alkaline water is.
Here are some important things you need to know about alkaline water:
- Alkaline water is one of the most interesting types of drinking water due to its composition. The ‘alkaline’ in alkaline water refers to its pH level. In measuring the acidity or alkaline substances of a substance, people often use the 0-14 pH scale.
- Using this scale, substances with pH seven are neutral and those with less than pH seven are considered acidic. On the other hand, those with pH levels greater than seven are bases. The pH scale can be seen as a measurement of the amount of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in water.
- While water is generally considered neutral due to its pH levels, alkaline water contains higher pH levels, usually with a pH of eight or nine. Consequently, many experts believe that alkaline water could potentially reduce acidity in one’s body.
- To be considered alkaline water, certain types of drinking water must have alkaline minerals and negative oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), which refers to water’s ability to act as an antioxidant or pro-oxidant. For alkaline water to become more oxidizing, it has to have a negative ORP value.
- One of the popular health claims about alkaline water is its ability to reduce the risks of chronic diseases and neutralize body acids. Moreover, many experts believe that alkaline water has impressive qualities, including anti-aging properties.
- Alkaline water is also said to improve metabolism, prevent acid reflux, and boost energy levels.
- Although alkaline water could be a bit costlier than normal drinking water, one must first consider the validity of the health claims about it to avoid spending too much.
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Incredible Components Of Alkaline Water
The most prominent factors influencing people to believe in the medicinal benefits of drinking alkaline water are its components and pH levels. Considering the number of contradicting claims about its health advantages, many experts believe that people view alkaline water as curative and medicinal due to its properties.
In most cases, people believe that the buildup of acids in their bodies contributes to the development of illnesses and diseases. That’s why they think that drinking alkaline water could efficiently manage these effects and lessen the threats of ailments.
Generally, alkaline water has the following four components:
- Magnesium: This particular mineral is among the 24 fundamental nutrients that one needs to maintain healthiness and balance in the body. The primary role of magnesium is to increase the conversion of food into energy and manage almost 300 chemical reactions in the body.
- Sodium: Aside from magnesium, another notable component of alkaline water is sodium. This mineral is responsible for regulating blood pressure levels and bolstering nerve and muscle functions.
- Calcium: In terms of promoting bone health, one of the most important nutrients you must prioritize is calcium. Aside from being known for its role in enhancing bone health, calcium also helps protect one’s heart, muscles, tissues, and nerves.
- Potassium: Potassium is mostly known for improving muscle functions and advancing healthy metabolism.
If you’re still having second thoughts about alkaline water, a study reports that people who consume high-pH water exhibit significant differences in their blood viscosity than those who consume regular drinking water. Among the participants, only the ones who drank alkaline water were found to experience more efficient blood flow. This is partly because of the increased oxygen in their blood vessels.
While these findings are notable and remarkable in the medical field, there’s still a need for further studies to support these claims.
Advantages Of Drinking Alkaline Water
As mentioned earlier, there are varying health claims about drinking alkaline water. For some, this water is curative and beneficial, while others disagree. Although you might also develop an initial perception about this drinking water, it’s crucial to learn the validity of those claims to avoid endangering your health.
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To learn more, you can read the section below:
- Neutralizes Body Acids
The levels of body acids in one’s body are among the most prominent factors that could affect their overall health and wellness. While chronic stress, unhealthy lifestyles, and substance abuse are some of the root causes of cancer, many experts believe that acidity or low pH levels are contributing factors. Metabolic disorders, hormonal problems, and loss of bone mass are also some of the consequences of having high acid levels in the body.
Excessive acid in the body could also lead to osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, a person must take a high-alkaline diet to prevent acid buildup in their body. Fruits and vegetables are essential in reducing acid levels in one’s body. Aside from that, alkaline water could help regulate the acids in your body due to its high mineral content.
Moreover, some of the most common health benefits of alkaline water may include the following:
- The antioxidants in alkaline water could help slow down the aging process.
- Cleanses the colon and gastrointestinal (GI) tracts
- Rejuvenates and detoxifies the skin
- Promotes healthy weight loss
- Prevents cancer
- Improves Hydration Levels
While it could be considered a no-brainer for many people, it’s noteworthy to mention that drinking alkaline water can help enhance one’s hydration. Just like any other type of drinking water could impact your hydration, alkaline water is a great source of fluids.
However, the only difference in drinking alkaline water is that it could help balance the acid-base properties in your body. It’s also said to be more readily absorbed by the cells due to its smaller water molecules. By enabling your body to flush toxins more easily, alkaline water could efficiently hydrate and detoxify your skin.
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- Enhances Immune System
Like what’s been stated above, alkaline water plays a significant role in enhancing one’s immune system and body defenses against diseases. Particularly, many people believe that drinking alkaline water may effectively increase oxygen levels in one’s blood vessels, which could then enhance proper blood circulation.
Through this, nutrients and minerals could be transported easily to organs and cells. Hence, the body could efficiently build up its defenses against illness-causing pathogens like viruses and bacteria that could enter it. Fighting foreign pathogens and infections could also be much easier.
- Promotes Bone Health
Due to its incredible components, alkaline water has been widely known for promoting bone health. Specifically, many researchers believe that drinking alkaline water could directly impact one’s bone mass and bone absorption.
Simply put, bone absorption is the process of replacing old bone cells with newer ones. As the bone cells in one’s body become older, they’ll start to deteriorate and break down. After that, new bone cells with be created to replace the degenerating ones.
In a way, alkaline water could help provide more mineral density and lesser bone resorption. This could result in more efficient bone strength. Experts also believed that bicarbonate and calcium-rich alkaline water could effectively control bone resorption rather than calcium-rich acidic mineral water.
- Prevents Acid Reflux
Alkaline water can impact more than your skin condition and bone health. It’s also said to take part in preventing risks of acid reflux. In most cases, acid reflux is a result of the presence of excessive acids in one’s stomach, which might affect the food pipe. Without proper treatment, this could lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Due to its high-alkaline properties, alkaline water could control the production of harmful enzymes that may cause acid reflux. Alkaline water at pH 8.8 is also said to effectively lessen the acidity in one’s stomach.
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Disadvantages Of Drinking Alkaline Water
While there’s no denying the number of health benefits of alkaline water, you shouldn’t forget about its potential negative impact on your body. Particularly, some people believe that alkaline water could cause the following:
- Mineral accumulation
- Increased risks of metabolic alkalosis
- Bacteria buildup in the stomach due to reduced levels of acidity
- Skin irritations
- Agitation
- Extreme fatigue
- Dependency and withdrawal tendencies
Final Thoughts
Drinking a sufficient amount of water is essential in keeping your body in its healthiest state. As it’s one of the few things that humans can’t live without, it’s crucial to choose the best type of drinking water for your body’s needs. Among the available options you can consider, alkaline water may benefit your body in multiple ways.
If you’re still having second thoughts, you can consider the abovementioned considerations and important pieces of information about alkaline water. By doing that, you can make a sound decision about it.
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References
Weidman, J., Holsworth, R.E., Brossman, B. et al. Effect of electrolyzed high-pH alkaline water on blood viscosity in healthy adults. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 13, 45 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-016-0153-8
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