Is alkaline water healthy?

There are a lot of claims made about alkaline water such as:

It lowers blood pressure.
It lowers blood sugar.
It lowers cholesterol.
It has anti-aging properties.
It’s great for the body’s immune system.
It prevents cancer.
It strengthens bones and prevents osteoporosis.
It promotes weight loss.

On the negative side it has been accused of possibly causing gastrointestinal issues, maybe even leading to a condition called alkalosis which can cause skin irritations, nausea, muscle twitches, tremors, tingling and confusion.

So are any of these claims true?

The answer is a combination of maybe, probably not, and possibly in certain circumstances.

A Chinese journal on protective medicine, the Shanghai Journal of Protective Medicine in 2001 [1], claims that blood pressure levels, blood sugar and blood lipids (cholesterol) did decrease significantly, even to normal levels, after test subjects ingested alkaline water for 3-6 months. If this was true, the medical world would have jumped on the finding and advocated for all authorities to provide alkaline water for consumption by all citizens. The fact that this claim in 2001 has not received a lot of attention is probably an indication that the study is not well recognized.

Source from https://pxhere.com/en/photo/726931

There are currently no studies that support the idea that alkaline water has any effect on cancer or has anti-aging properties.

Source from https://pxhere.com/en/photo/921518

A 2009 study published in The Bone Journal [2] found that alkaline mineral water lowered bone resorption. (Bone resorption is the body’s process of breaking down old bone cells and replacing with new ones. Less bone resorption means better bone strength.) However, the effect was found to be a very small one.

Source from https://unsplash.com/photos/8rj4sz9YLCI

A study published in the National Centre for Biotechnology Information in 2011 [3] found that drinking water with a pH of 8.8 may have therapeutic benefits for patients with reflux disease. The effect being similar to ingesting antacids which work to neutralise stomach acidity to help with acid reflux or heartburn.

Source from https://unsplash.com/photos/dvXGnwnYweM

In a previous blog we explained how pH is a measure of the number of hydrogen ions in a solution, measured on a scale of 0 to 14. 0 being acidic, 14 alkaline and 7 in the centre of the scale being neutral. Human blood is slightly alkaline at around 7.4 but many organs within the body vary beyond that. The stomach for example is extremely acidic with a pH around 1.5 to 3.5 which helps in the digestion of food. [4] If we neutralise our stomach acidity too much by ingesting too much alkaline water or antacids we can upset the balance in our stomachs and adversely affect our digestive system. Also, drinking too much alkaline water can theoretically lead to metabolic alkalosis and its associated symptoms like confusion, nausea, vomiting, hand tremors, muscle twitching, and tingling in the face, hands or feet. [4]

Currently there are many guidelines to safe drinking water published by the World Health Organisation but pH level is not amongst them. [5] The reason for that is that no scientific studies have proven that alkaline water is necessary for our survival and many of the therapeutic aspects are likely exaggerated or are purely anecdotal in evidence. Water alkalisers or ionising machines are expensive and almost certainly are little more than marketing exercises with little to no actual health benefit. [6] Alkaline water may even be detrimental to our health if consumed above certain quantities. It can also carry certain minerals which can accumulate in the bodies of people with poor kidney function so is definitely not recommended for people in that category. [4]

We also need to consider that our bodies regulate our blood pH level naturally; for example, if our blood becomes too acidic we breathe out more carbon dioxide to bring it down. [7] Therefore, drinking water with a pH level above or below neutral will be balanced out eventually anyway.

So where does that leave us?

While there are many articles and books advocating for the benefits of alkaline water, on evidence, alkaline water is likely to bring little to no benefit to us and we would be better off spending our money on better nutrition and access to clean, filtered water for much greater, and scientifically proven, health benefits.

Call us today on (02) 8840 5177, or email us at sales@ilanwater.com.au, to discuss our range of water filtration systems to provide clean and great tasting drinking water at your home or office.
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Is alkaline water healthy?