Alkaline Water Benefits

You must have heard of the various health benefits of alkaline water. So, are you wondering is alkaline water good for you? Let’s see first of all what is alkaline water and why alkaline water should be taken, whether it has any benefits and side effects and so on.

We all know that drinking water is good for health, so could you possibly make it even more beneficial to health by adding alkaline to it?

Related: Health Benefits of Drinking Lots of Water

Several celebrities like Beyoncé and Tom Brady have praised pure alkaline water and drinking alkaline water has been touted as beneficial for attaining a clear skin, losing weight and even for fighting cancer!!

What is Alkaline Water?

Simply put, alkaline water contains a higher level of pH as against plain tap water.

• pH is potential hydrogen in a substance, which means the concentration of hydrogen ion in a substance.
• All foods and drinks have a pH level and so does your body. It ranges from 0 very acidic to 14 very basic or alkaline.
• pH ranges from 0 to 14, and the pH of pure water is 7, which is the neutral base. If the pH of a substance is below 7, it is considered acidic and if it is above 7 it is considered basic or alkaline, so the alkaline water pH is above 7.

• Water usually contains dissolved salts like calcium, sodium and magnesium. When the salts are more in quantity, the water becomes more alkaline. Ordinary tap water has a pH closer to 7, whereas water with more alkaline compounds or alkaline water is 8 or 9.

Alkaline water brands like Real Water, Essentia and others are either made naturally from sources like a mineral spring or by being filtered and ionized with the addition of minerals.

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• Naturally alkaline water is different from artificially alkalised water.
• Most of the alkaline water brands available in the market make use of electrolysis process using a water ionizer, addition of ions or sodium bicarbonate, resulting in artificial alkaline water.

Warning: Artificially alkaline water could cause side effects and should not be taken regularly as drinking water.

• On the other hand, the water in streams and rivers absorbs the alkaline minerals in the rocks. This is natural and the best alkaline water. It can also be created in water systems that flow around gravelly beds in order to absorb alkaline materials. Such systems do not use electricity to produce alkaline water. Natural processes are used to create naturally alkaline water.

Why Drink Alkaline Water – Is Alkaline Water Healthy?

Some health experts and professionals claim that foods like caffeine, sugar and alcohol are acidic and could create an atmosphere in the body that could encourage diseases and even cancer.

• Why is alkaline water good and why should you go in for an alkaline water diet? It is believed that health issues and diseases are caused due to the acidity in blood, so if your body is more alkaline, it will result in better health and therefore, one of the benefits of alkaline water.
• When your body is acidic, important nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals etc. get depleted faster and bacteria tend to breed faster as well. This causes infections and the immune system gets strained.
• This has led to theories of alkaline benefits and so it has led to the practice of processing natural water to make it more alkaline.
• Normal tap water usually has a pH of 7. In alkaline water, it is processed to increase the alkaline content to 7.5 up to 9 pH in order help you balance the body pH levels.

Top Health Benefits of Alkaline Water

We all know that water is good for us and is probably one of the most important things for our body. However, alkaline water is said to be even better than plain water. It is considered as a miracle liquid. So, what are the positive effects of alkaline water?

• It is believed that foods like caffeine, alcohol, sugar etc can increase acidity in the body and could lead to health problems. From here, it is concluded that if your body is more alkaline, you are less likely to face health issues. So, more alkaline is considered as good and is one of the benefits of alkaline water.
• Since alkaline water has a higher level of pH as compared to normal tap water, it is able to neutralize the acid in the bloodstream.
• What is alkaline water good for? Alkaline water neutralizes free radicals that could cause damage to DNA and cells. The best way to tackle free radicals is to increase antioxidants in the body. It has been shown that alkaline water has antioxidant effects on your body.
• It is also super hydrating, as the smaller cluster size enables it to penetrate the cells more easily. Better hydration means that your digestive system will run smoothly, your skin will glow and you will have more energy. This is part of the benefits of alkaline water on skin.

• It contains higher amounts of alkaline substances like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and is among the benefits of alkaline water.
• Alkaline water increases the amount of oxygen that gets dissolved in the blood.
• It flushes out acidic waste and even helps in weight loss management.
• Another of the benefits of alkaline water is connected with treating reflux problems or heartburn.

Note: A study found that a combination of a Mediterranean diet with alkaline water could ease reflux problems.

• It eliminates pollutants like chlorine that is present in normal tap water.
• Alkaline water restores the natural pH of the body and it is believed to be responsible for making the bones more dense and strong.
• You can also use it for washing vegetables, as a strong alkaline water with a high pH of 10.5 can remove pesticides present in fruits and veggies.
• It also promotes a healthy digestion, because drinking water in general promotes movement of food through the digestive tract.

Note: Researchers have found that the benefit of alkaline water is that it is effective in keeping things moving in the gut in rats!

There are no peer reviewed studies done to definitely prove any of the above benefits. Check out the connection between alkaline water and cancer Claiming that it can starve cancer cells and kill them.

Read: 🍉 Top 10 Health Benefits of Eating Watermelon

How to Make Alkaline Water at Home

You can buy it or make your own alkaline water at home!

• Where to buy alkaline water? If you visit supermarkets, you will find branded alkaline waters, such as Essentia and Alkaline88.
• You can also make one by yourself, merely by adding baking soda to regular water.
• Just mix 1/8th teaspoon of baking soda with 8 ounces tap water and it becomes alkaline water.
• Another method is to buy pH drops containing concentrated alkaline minerals and adding them to tap water.
• You can also buy a domestic ionizing machine.

Alkaline water machines make use of smart technology for filtering the water and eliminating harmful contaminants, including lead.

Alkaline Water Side Effects

When considering the truth about alkaline water, anything in excess could have a side effect on the body and so could alkaline water!

• If you drink an excess amount of alkaline water, it could result in a deficiency of HCL or hydrochloric acid in the stomach. This will hinder the proper functioning of the digestive system.
• If you consume alkaline water with a high pH range of 10, it could cause skin problems and eye irritation.

Alkaline water could also cause muscle twitches! There could be side effects like vomiting, muscle twitches and tingling. Seek immediate medical help in such conditions.

• Is alkaline water safe? A regular consumption of artificial alkaline water can make the small intestine overly alkaline. This could result in bladder infection, problems in the urinary tract or erratic heart behavior.

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Alkaline Water Hoax

But you need to take these tall claims with a bit of salt, so to speak! There are some claims that the whole thing about alkaline water is a hoax, which has no merit apart from a marketing trick.

If you are still unsure about the benefits, you could just make the alkaline water yourself at home, rather than shelling out $8 a bottle. You may not benefit from it, but there’s no harm either.

Wrap Up – Alkaline Water Benefits

So, what is the final word on alkaline water? Should you drink it or not? How much alkaline water should you drink? For good health, it is important that you drink natural alkaline water on a daily basis, as the body gets all the alkaline minerals that it needs for buffering the acids.

You can consume about two liters of natural alkaline water per day. However, if you are drinking artificial alkaline water, you should constantly check your body pH, so that there are no side effects.

In short, there is no evidence to prove that drinking alkaline water can hurt you.