Is Alkaline Water Healthier?

Drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water daily is good for the health. But if you are thinking of much healthier choices, drinking alkaline water would be a great idea to consider. But is alkaline water healthier? What are the health benefits of drinking alkaline water?

I first heard about alkaline water from my colleague when we went to the supermarket together. We were at the bottled water section when she mentioned how alkaline water is healthier than any other ordinary bottled water. I got really curious so I decided to look into it.

What is alkaline water?

Before deciding if alkaline water is healthier, it would be logical to know what it’s all about. So what is alkaline water?

The term alkaline refers to the pH (potential hydrogen) level of any substance or solution; pH measures the concentration of free hydrogen ions in a solution. A solution that has a lot of hydrogen ions is very acidic and has a low pH. On the other hand, solutions with very few hydrogen ions are alkaline and have a high pH.

In simpler terms, the pH measures the acidity or alkalinity of a substance or solution on a scale of 0 to 14. Something with a pH of 0 is considered completely acidic while something with a pH of 14 is completely alkaline.

Alkaline water (also called ionized water) is water that has a pH greater than 7 – higher than regular water. As a result, some advocates believe it helps to neutralize acid in the body, making it less prone to diseases.

How is alkaline water made?

There are two ways by which alkaline water is made.

1. First is through the process of electrolysis or ionization.

In this method, an ionizer is used to separate the H2O compound of water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules. By doing so, some of the acidifying hydrogen molecules are removed causing the water’s pH to increase.

2. Another method is through the addition of minerals and other alkaline ingredients.

Water that passes over rocks will pick up traces of minerals such as potassium and calcium is naturally alkaline. As an alternative, alkaline ingredients such as bicarbonate can be added.

*** So, alkaline water is made either by adding electrolytes such as potassium and calcium or by passing it through water ionizer.

But you can also easily make alkaline water yourself in three different ways.

a) Baking soda – baking soda is highly alkaline. Just mix 1/8 of a tablespoon of baking soda with an 8-ounce glass of water.

b) You can also add freshly squeezed lime juice or lemon juice to make your water alkaline.

c) pH drops or alkaline mineral maybe used as well to alkalize your water.

Is Alkaline Water Healthier?

What difference does it make if the water’s pH is alkaline instead of acidic?

Wait a minute; does it really matter if the water’s pH is acidic or alkaline? Proponents of alkaline water believe it works by making our bodies less acidic. Since the blood is slightly alkaline with a pH of approximately 7.4, it is essential for our bodies to maintain a pH within a tight range.

Some alternative medicine proponents also believe that our bodies need to be strictly maintained at a pH of 7.4 in order to achieve and maintain optimal health and to fight cancer. Interestingly, there have been several studies showing that alkaline water benefits are not only limited to just keeping us healthy, but there are actually reported cases where it may contribute to the cure of many diseases.

What are the health benefits of drinking alkaline water?

Below are some of the health benefits of drinking alkaline water.

1. As mentioned earlier, alkaline water helps alkalize an acidic body.

If you consume diets that are rich in acidic foods such as dairy, sugar, red meat and processed foods, drinking alkaline water is highly recommended for you.

Some research even suggests you can live longer by drinking alkaline water. A study conducted in Okinawa, Japan found that people who regularly consumed alkaline water with a pH of 10 have lived to 100 years old.

2. Alkaline water helps improve bone health.

Alkaline water contains a good supply of dietary calcium and magnesium. By consuming alkaline water, you are getting the additional health benefits of added calcium and magnesium which helps to maintain strong bones.

Multiple studies have shown that drinking alkaline water not only lowers markers of bone loss but it also encourages the growth of healthy new bones.

3. Alkaline water is good for the heart.

It was concluded in a recent study that people who drank alkaline water had a significantly lower risk of developing heart disease than those who drank regular water.

So if you are struggling with heart disease, you should consider drinking alkaline water in order to keep your heart healthy, instead of turning to expensive medications and health supplements.

In a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, alkaline water is said to be better than plain water for hydration. Did you know that a glass of water an hour before bed can prevent a heart attack or stroke?

Proper hydration will help prevent your blood from becoming too thick, making it easier for your heart to pump.

4. Alkaline water provides antioxidant benefits.

Alkaline water contains many active hydrogen molecules which act as powerful antioxidants that can neutralize harmful radicals in the body. So you can help protect your body from many diseases by just drinking alkaline water.

5. Alkaline water aids in weight loss.

Did you know that alkaline water actually helps with weight loss? One research study conducted found that obese individuals who consumed two liters of alkaline water daily lost an average of twelve pounds over a period of two months.

If you need to lose weight, you may want to consider drinking alkaline water instead of regular water. You may be eating right and getting the right exercise but it is also important for your body to have a balanced pH.

A balanced pH will aid in the release of the acid stuck in your fat cells so you can lose more weight.

Conclusion

Is alkaline water healthier than regular or ordinary water? The basic principle behind alkaline water is to create a high alkaline pH to deal with the body’s acidity and toxicity, especially the hyperacidity of the gastrointestinal system.

Although the medical community is skeptical about alkaline water and there have been some concerns with continually drinking it as your source of water, it may be considered healthier than ordinary water because it acts to neutralize the acidity of your stomach, which is necessary to break down the food you eat and to properly absorb nutrients.

Some health-conscious people would want to try anything that claims to make them healthier, including alkaline water, which claims to provide a range of health benefits such as those that I mentioned above.

While I think drinking alkaline water is healthy, I personally believe that balance is a key ingredient to being healthy. And when it comes to maintaining the body’s proper pH balance, always keep in mind that having a healthy, balanced nutrition-rich lifestyle with plenty of whole fresh foods is the best way to do it.

I recommend drinking alkaline water but no matter how much of it you take, it can never replace the essential vitamins and mineral your body needs from food.

And if you want to try alkaline water yourself, I do not recommend buying those expensive ionizers just yet. You can always prepare your own alkaline water by following what I have outlined above.

Should you have any questions or anything you want to add, please feel free to leave your comments below.

14 thoughts on “Is Alkaline Water Healthier?”

  1. Hi Alice,

    First off, you’ve got a pretty awesome site! There is so much relevant information and the site is well formatted.

    Now, about your post. Going for alkaline water has become the new trend. I also heard my friends talk about how alkaline water has some health benefits that are not found in ordinary bottled waters. Perhaps they’re right, even though according to your article, there has not been much validation in as far as health research and studies are taken into consideration.

    However, what I read here has made me curious about alkaline water and so I thought why not. Plus, I do not even have to buy since I can easily prepare it alkaline water with lime or lemon.

    I will go prepare one right now, thanks for such a valuable read!

    Phil

    1. Hey Phil,

      You got that right! The health benefits of alkaline water are not well established and backed by a ton of research studies but there’s no harm in trying, considering that you don’t really have to spend a lot in order to experiment on it.

      And even if alkaline water has not been 100% proven to be healthier than ordinary bottled waters, I think it’s still worth giving a try. In fact, people are already drinking alkaline water without them being aware because a lot of people love lemon water which is alkaline in pH.

  2. I also had no idea about alkaline water but I often hear my colleagues talk about it during break time. They keep going back and forth how alkaline water is healthier than regular water, so I decided to check it out.

    This article has opened my eyes to what alkaline water is all about and how we can prepare our own alkaline water and we do not have to buy it at an expensive price. Thank you for the informative post.

    1. So we’re kind’a have the same experience in that we both heard about alkaline water firsthand from our colleagues. And yes, you can prepare your own alkaline water by using either baking soda or lemon, your choice.

      Thanks for your comment.

    1. I also thought all water was neutral (with a pH of 7) but I was wrong too. But now that alkaline water is getting more and more popular because of the “supposed” health benefits, I do not see any harm in trying it ourselves.

      However, you do not have to spend too much. You can easily alkalize your ordinary water by adding baking soda. But if you find the taste unpleasant, just squeeze in fresh lemon or lime and you have alkaline water.

  3. I had not previously heard of alkaline water. Great info, makes me curious to find out more. Are there brands that are associated with alkaline water? What do I need to look for when shopping for bottled water?

    1. Hello Patricia,

      There are certain brands of alkaline water available in the market. Some of the more popular ones include Noah’s Spring Water (pH 8.4), Fiji (pH 7.5) which is derived from springs in Fiji, Evamor (pH 8.0), Real Water (pH 8.0), Trinity Springs (pH 9.0), Qure (pH 9.5) and Essentia (pH 9.0).

      Have fun shopping alkaline water for a healthier you!

  4. Thank you so much for sharing such a nice information about alkaline water.

    Very well written and very well explained. Superb work, I would love to read more from your site.

    1. Thanks Sarah.

      I hope to be able to write more informative articles on what we all can do or practice in order to stay healthy, because health is wealth.

  5. Never knew there was so much benefit in alkaline water. I used to struggle drinking water because of the taste, but now I often drink water with lemon juice, sometimes as a hot drink. So surprised but also happy to know that I have been benefiting my body.

    I don’t buy bottled water but when I do it’s normally sparkling spring water, I find I can tolerate the taste more. Thanks for writing the article, it was a good read.

    1. Hi Jamila,

      Alkaline water is currently selling like hot cakes in almost every supermarket worldwide due mainly to the hype that the producers have caused. And although there have not been a lot of tangible proofs of the “supposed” health benefits of drinking alkaline water, more and more people are riding its popularity, especially the health-conscious people.

      Interestingly, most of us have already been drinking home made alkaline water without even knowing it. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy lemon water? Perhaps we drink lemon water for the purpose of losing or maintaining our weight but we are actually drinking healthier water.

      Thanks for stopping by Jamila.

  6. Wow, great information, I haven’t heard about that.

    I always loved to drink lemon water, now I learned that this is also a lot healthier than normal water. I live in Thailand and am wondering if when I use lime juice instead of lemon juice is that changing the pH level too?

    Thanks again, this is very helpful.

    1. Hey Stefan,

      Like you, I loved drinking lemon water too even before knowing how lemon changes the pH of water to alkaline. I always thought lemon makes water more acidic but it is actually the opposite. No wonder some restaurants serve lemon water before anything else.

      If lemon is not available, you can always substitute it with lime as they have the same effect – they both raise the pH of water making it alkaline.

      Have fun preparing your own alkaline water!

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