Recently many naturopathic and alternative health enthusiasts are very excited about alkaline water.  They feel this type of water is a healthier type of water to drink.  Many claim that it slows aging, increases energy, helps with fertility issues, regulates your body’s pH levels and helps to prevent chronic diseases like cancer.

Water is important for our health and staying hydrated is critical for every bodily function but is alkaline water better?

Alkaline water is water with a high pH level. Potential hydrogen (pH) is the measure of acidity or alkalinity of a substance.  It is based on a scale from 0 not 14 with 7 as a neutral midpoint.  Liquids with a pH of 1 are very acidic where as liquids with a pH of 13 are very alkaline.  Pure water has a pH reading of close to 7.  Alkaline water, also called ionized water, has a higher pH measurement between 7 and 9.5 making it higher on the alkaline side.

So what does the science say?  A few small studies shows some possible benefits of drinking alkaline water; however, more studies are needed to verify and substantiate the benefits.  Here are the benefits that have shown some promise.

Bone Health:

Some studies have shown some preliminary signs that drinking alkaline water may help to slow bone loss.

Benefit Athletes:

One small study indicated that soccer players who drank alkaline, low mineralized water after an anaerobic workout had improvements in their level of hydration and their bodies used lactic acid more efficiently.

Health Benefits after Menopause:

A small studied showed that postmenopausal people who drank alkaline water instead of regular water for a number of weeks had a slightly lower diastolic blood pressure, lower fasting plasma glucose, and was able to sleep longer.

Other claims regarding the benefits of alkaline water have no supporting evidence. These include claims that alkaline water…

  • makes your body less acidic;
  • can prevent or cure cancer and other chronic diseases;
  • can boost brain health or prevent Alzheimer’s disease;
  • can solve fertility issues or slow aging;

Bottom line, based on the research done to date, alkaline water is no better than regular water.  In fact, drinking too much could have an impact on certain medication and although rare, could disrupt your body’s normal pH levels.

https://www.livestrong.com/article/498701-what-are-the-benefits-of-drinking-alkaline-water/