Alkaline water can be safe for drinking, but often times, this kind of water has the potential to produce side effects. Here is an insight of what alkaline water is, what the benefits and dangers of drinking the water are and how you can make it.
A common benefit of alkaline water is that it can help reduce stomach acid, this can really be beneficial to people with acid reflux. Research shows that you could end up with very healthy tissues if you drink too much alkaline water. The manufacturers of alkaline water will at all time claim how safe the water is, but is it really safe as they claim it to be.
What is alkaline water?
Contents
Before trying to gauge whether or not alkaline water is safe for drinking or not, it is important to first understand what alkaline water is. So what is alkaline water? Alkaline water is commonly defined as a beverage with a value greater than 7 in the pH scale. What this means is that water is neither neutral nor acidic. Ionized water is the other name for alkaline water.
A shift in our daily food consumption and drinking, water preferences have created a new range of alkaline product for consumers. Health conscious consumers are often asking questions about what type of alkaline water to drink? What the benefits and dangers of drinking this kind of water are, and whether to purchase it bottled or prepare the water at home.
Understanding the basic Difference between natural and alkaline water helps provide the required core knowledge to make an informed decision of whether to purchase it battled or prepare fresh alkaline water daily. Most drinking water is neutral that means it is neither acid nor alkaline. Alkaline water, on the other hand, is water with a pH value greater than 7.
In the commercial production of alkaline water, a device called an ionizer, uses electricity to separate the water‘s hydrogen and oxygen. A positively charged electrode is put on one side of the water-filled chamber and a negative charge electrode on the other side. Hydrogen atoms are pulled on one side of the chamber.
The water with the hydrogen atoms becomes alkaline whereas that on the other side becomes acid, this is due to the shift in hydrogen ions. Inside the ionizer, a thin membrane in the middle prevents the water from mixing back together until it is drained into another container.
Alkaline water is commonly characterized as having a lot of electrons and a negative charge. Due to high electron content, alkaline water is believed to slow down the aging process. In the body, whenever electrons are neutralized, cell damage is reduced, this is what slows down the aging process.
Is it okay to drink alkaline water?
Drinking alkaline water has both its dangers and benefits. For excellent health, it is important to drink naturally alkaline water daily. Drinking naturally alkaline water supplies the body with the alkaline minerals needed to buffer the acid level in the body, this is what provides an optimal working environment for the enzymes that perform basic process in the body.
So is it okay to drink alkaline water? Water is very important for the well-being of our body. Whether alkaline or not, as a human, it is very important to drink plenty of water on a daily basis, this helps maintain an optimally healthy body. With advanced technology, alkaline ionized water has been found in numerous scientific medical studies to hold increased health benefits compared to other available water.
A common health benefit of alkaline water is that it helps with acid reflux and cancer. Acid reflux is a condition in which acid gastric fluid is regurgitated into the esophagus causing heartburn. In recent times, alkaline water is becoming increasingly more popular. It is important to understand the difference between alkaline water and alkaline ionized water.
Alkaline water is considered is considered to be any water with a pH level above 7 on the other hand, alkaline ionized water is added benefits and safety advantages of the alkaline water that you may find bottles or made from chemical additives.
Apart from the commercial production of alkaline water, you can prepare alkaline water at home in the following 3 ways:
- The first way to prepare alkaline water is by adding sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). Adding baking soda to water increases the pH level of the water. Some doctor considers this method as not being healthy enough as such, it is not medically healthy to use it for a long time. Developing kidney stones is a common risk of continued use of this form of alkaline water.
- The other method of preparing alkaline water is by adding minerals to the water. Most commercially produced alkaline water are made by adding calcium or magnesium. In commercial production, these minerals are carefully balanced and checked to produce healthy and health friendly alkaline water. When the chemical or minerals are not balanced, consumption of the alkaline water could have severe heath benefit.
- The most healthy and reliable way to produce alkaline water is to use a water ionizer. In this process water electrolysis that separates hydrogen from oxygen atoms. This form of alkaline water has a lot of health benefits to the body.
Dangers of drinking alkaline water
The concept of acidity or alkalinity of the body or water is based on a pH scale. PH is simply the measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions. PH in itself is a short form for “potential of hydrogen” the higher a liquid’s pH the fewer free hydrogen ions it has the lower its pH. Just as with the water, the body pH is measured in terms of hydrogen ion concentration. When the body has a high number of hydrogen ions, then your body is said to lower or acid.
Having a balanced pH is the main core biochemical process, it is very important for your body to maintain an ideal or near ideal pH at all times. Are there any dangers of drinking alkaline water? Drinking plenty of alkaline water may shift the balance in body pH. Our body are made up of numerous cells with endless biochemical processes going on. The biochemical process in the body is completed by means of body enzymes.
The optimal working of these enzymes will require a precise pH to function optimally. The dangers of drinking alkaline water are such that, we a shift in the balance of body pH, the enzymes fails to function properly, this may cause the resulting biochemical process to shut down as well. A deranged body pH catastrophic condition that should be treated immediately as it could cause almost irreversible damage to your body organs.
Artificially alkaline water neutralizes acidity in the body parts it comes in contact with. This includes parts of the stomach and the small intestine. Continuous consumption of alkaline water, causes the small intestine to become overly alkaline. At this point, side effects will start to appear. Common dangers of alkaline water will include the following:
- Digestive malfunction
Excessive consumption of alkaline water hinders the normal digestion process. Alkalinity in the stomach may make it hard for digestive enzymes to perform optimally. Digestive malfunction is more severe in old people. In such cases, old people above 60 years should not drink a lot of alkaline water.
Unchecked digestive malfunctions are likely to lead to a condition such as hypochlorhydria. This is a condition caused by calcium malabsorption, for most people this condition worsens with continued use of alkaline water.
Excessive alkalization in the stomach causes a condition known as milk-alkali syndrome. With this syndrome. With this syndrome, stomach acid is decreased compromising the absorption of calcium. Decreased calcium levels can be very dangerous to the normal functioning of the body. Adequate or normal calcium level is required for optimal functioning of the brain, gut, and muscle.
- Erratic heart behavior, cardiovascular problems
A recent research showed that some patients who were hospitalized for heart condition magically cleared when they stopped drinking artificially alkaline or ionized water. More severe side effects of drinking alkaline water were observed in a clinical study involving rats.
The study revealed an injury to the cardiac tissue of the rat as a result of drinking electrolyzed reduce water (artificially alkaline water). In this age where heart disease is a leading killer, ionized water is simply not a smart choice.
Noticeable arrhythmia symptoms may include the following:
- Fluttering in your chest
- Fainting
- Slow heartbeat, abnormal heartbeat
- Severe chest pain
- Dizziness and
- Excessive sweating
- Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure according to NHS rarely has any noticeable symptoms. Left untreated, however, high blood pressure could lead to serious risks such as heart attacks and strokes. Medically, blood pressure is recorded with two numbers, the systolic pressure, which is the force with which the heart pumps blood around the body and diastolic pressure which is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels.
According to Editor Dana Shultz of the dietsinreview.com, since alkaline water contains healthy ionized minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, it is thought to reduce risk levels of developing metabolic syndrome. In moderate quantity, alkaline water may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, high cholesterol and kidney stones.
- Anxiety
Moderate consumption of alkaline water helps maintain a balanced pH in the body and brain. This helps in better management of depression and anxiety. When your brain is active, it reduces the pH in the body active region leading to increased acidity in such regions. With increased brain acidity, you are likely to suffer from different mental illness.
- Urinary tract and bladder infection
Most acidic bodies are the result of dehydration. With the right kind of water, most of the bladder problems can be reduced. Acid water causes more harm to your body than good. It leaches minerals from your bones and organs causing serious problems over time.
Abnormal pH level in the body can have adverse effects. Drinking plenty of alkaline water may cause your body to be too alkaline, this can hinder the optimal function f body organs such as the kidney.
- Other dangers of alkaline water will include the following
- Metabolic complication
- Overworking of the kidney
- The water cannot be used with medicine
- Worsened nutritional deficiency
Benefits of alkaline water
Before the dangers of drinking alkaline water, your body may benefit from the alkaline water. Your body may enjoy the benefit of alkaline water before it is stressed by the artificial alkalinity. Your body may enjoy increased hydration and more antioxidants. The low “one measure of antioxidant effect” (ORP) and micro-clustering are responsible for close to 99% of all benefits observed from drinking ionized water.
As mentioned, maintaining a balance level of pH, not so acid or alkaline in the body provides the optimal working environment for chemical enzymes that perform basic functions that provide energy, performs metabolism and other function such as removal of waste product from the body. To understand the benefits of drinking alkaline water, you first need to understand what acidosis (an excessively acidic condition of the body fluids or tissue) does to the body.
Acidosis occurs when your kidney and lungs are unable to keep your body pH in balance. Many of the body processes produce acid. In normal cases, your lungs and kidney can often compensate for the slight pH imbalance, a problem with this organs can lead to excess acid in your body. According to the American Association of Clinic Chemistry, acidosis is characterized by a PH of 7.35. While it might seem like a slight difference, acidosis can lead to numerous health issues. When not checked in time, acidosis can be life-threatening.
There are two types of acidosis, respiratory acidosis, and metabolic acidosis. Respiratory acidosis occurs when too much carbon dioxide (CO2) buildup in the body. It is the work of our lungs to remove carbon dioxide while you breathe, in rare cases, when your body is not functioning optimally, it becomes hard to get rid of the CO2, and this can happen due to the following:
- Asthma, this is a respiratory condition marked by spasm in the bronchi of the lungs. Asthma may cause difficulties in breathing, it often results from an allergic reaction and another form of hypersensitivity.
- Obesity which is a condition of being grossly fat or overweight. Obesity can make breathing hard
- Excessive consumption of alcohol
- Muscle weakness in the chest
- A problem with the nervous system
- Deformed chest structure and
- Injury to the chest
Metabolic acidosis, on the other hand, starts in the kidney (not the lungs). It occurs when your kidneys are unable to eliminate enough acid or in rare cases when the kidneys get rid of too much alkaline (base) in the body. There three major form of metabolic acidosis.
- Diabetic acidosis, this occurs in people with diabetes that is poorly controlled. When your body lacks enough insulin, ketones build up in your body and acidify it.
- Hyperchloremic acidosis is the other form of metabolic acidosis, this form of acidosis results from a loss of sodium bicarbonate, a base that helps keep the blood neutral. Excessive diarrhea and vomiting can cause this form of acidosis
- Finally, the other form of acidosis you can experience is lactic acidosis which occurs when there is too much lactic acid in your body. This form of acidosis can be as a result of chronic alcohol use, cancer, seizures, liver failure, prolonged lack of oxygen and low blood sugar. Hard exercise can also lead to acetic acid buildup.
Your body will show the following symptoms when the pH level is low (acidic)
- Constant and severe headaches
- Heart arrhythmia
- Confusion
- Fatigue
- You may cough out mucus
- Increased heart rate
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Increased likelihood of developing chronic disease such as organ failure
- Lack of appetite
The benefits of alkaline water are that it can help control and manage the symptoms of acidity in the body. This helps in providing an ideal environment for the functioning of the chemical enzymes in the body. The benefits of alkaline water in the body will include the following:
- It helps reduce, relieve headaches
- Alkaline water can help increase body energy due to optimal metabolic activity in the body
- Drinking alkaline water may help easy respiration (an involuntary process where living organism that involves the production of energy, the process basically involves the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide from the oxidation of complex substances)
- Drinking alkaline water may also help ease throat irritation
- Alkaline water may also help facilitate healthy heart function worsened by alkaline water
- Alkaline water also help with more stable and regular bowel movement
- Regular drinking alkaline water decreases the likelihood of developing chronic diseases.
- Alkaline water may help reduce acid reflux and heartburn
- Alkaline ionized water may also help reduce a number of free radicals in your body, this may help with managing medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus and kidney disease
- For people with cancer, research shows that alkaline ionized water has the ability to neutralize free radicals in the body leading to less oxidative stress. Less inflammation and a potentially decreased risk for cancer.
References
- Alkaline water, benefits and risk:
- Alkaline water exposed:
- Dangers of alkaline water: ionized vs natural alkaline:
- The dangers of alkaline waters:
- Alkaline water benefits plus dangers and scam:
