Are there benefits to alkaline water? There are those who claim there are from “better hydration” to prevention of cancer and heart disease, it seems that alkaline water is the new “healthy choice,” for those who want to take control over what they drink.

First a bit of science. We measure the acidity and alkalinity of any substance by a pH scale. We have litmus papers (hence the term litmus test) or even more sophisticated machines to determine what the pH is of any liquid substance. Scientists will tell you that a neutral pH (not acid or alkaline) is a pH of 7.0 . If it is more than 7.0 it is alkaline and less than 7.0 it is acidic. The human body’s pH is pretty steady at 7.4  but can go between 7.35 and 7.45 before we physicians panic. By panic, people who are very ill cannot keep their blood pH in a normal range, and we have to provide them support to help them.

Celebrities from Tony Robbins to Miranda Kerr promote alkaline water. On the other hand Beyonce  promotes alkaline water and then advocates putting lemon in water which makes water slightly acidic  – she can sing but she can’t science. Lucky for you, you can science!

Even Tom Brady, the six time Super bowl winning quarterback, says this water keeps down his inflammation.

By the way – there is zero evidence that alkalinity in the body or from water, or from a diet, reduces inflammation. The best way to reduce inflammation – an anti-inflammatory drug, like aspirin. And, the only way that Tom Brady can overcome the injuries from football, or life in general, is through inflammation. The inflammatory process promotes healing tissues and bones – like after a 300 pound linebacker sacks you.

In Scottsdale, AZ they are talking now promoting single use (read, plastic water bottles that go into the ocean) bottles called Alkaline 88 – because it uses an “electrochemically activated water system” that gives the water a pH of 8.8 “without the use of extraneous chemicals.”

But besides the water bottles, now available at your local supermarkets, with the Scottsdale company doing $100,000 of business a month, you can buy books, filters, machines, or other items to make this water at home.

So let’s cut to the chase here- can drinking water that is alkaline affect your body’s pH? 

No.

Here is the medical science behind how the body works (prepare geek mode).

Acidity or alkalinity of the blood is kept at a pH of 7.4.  In normal metabolism our body makes acid, manifested as hydrogen ions, and to eliminate those hydrogen ions our body uses two organ systems: the kidneys and the lungs. In addition, normally circulating in the blood and in your tissues are bicarbonate solutions to neutralize the acid that your body normally produces. In your digestive tract your pancreas makes 1.5 liters a day of bicarbonate solution, this serves both to neutralize the acid your stomach makes, and alkalinize any food that is acidic. Also in  your digestive system is bile, which is also highly alkaline.

So can alkaline water affect the pH of your stomach? Slightly. Your stomach has acid from about 1.5 to 3.5. Thankfully your stomach wall can stand that. But if you do the science, adding alkaline water to your stomach contents is not enough to raise the pH of your stomach – NOR DO YOU WANT TO.

If you have “heartburn” where your stomach acid reaches your esophagus or GERD – where stomach acid refluxes into your esophagus, drinking any water will help  -as well taking Tums. By the way, if you constantly have reflux you need to have this checked out because sometimes it isn’t just “heart burn” sometimes it is your heart.

Why don’t you want to raise the pH of your stomach?

There are two fundamental reasons for this:

(1) The low pH of your stomach (acidic) is one of the first barriers against food borne illness – food poisoning. Most bacteria and viruses cannot tolerate a high acidic environment. This is one reason we want patients to get off medicines like omeprazole after a short period of time.

(2) The low pH of your stomach facilitates breakdown of your food. The acid in your stomach breaks down lots of the food that you eat and in an acid environment one of the enzymes, pepsin, cannot be formed.  Pepsin is only effective when the pH of the stomach is less than 7. If the alkaline water worked, then you would be unable to use that enzyme to break down proteins. Some say that a deactivated pepsin prevents the damage from acid reflux, but sadly that is not the case. If you have acid reflux, even if your stomach pH is normal,  it is still a medical issue that needs to be addressed. The stomach acid, not the pepsin, causes the esophageal erosions – because once we get rid of the stomach acid, you have no erosions. Further, the esophagus is a naturally alkaline environment.

(3) The stomach enzymes work just fine because you cannot drink enough water to overcome the powerful acids that your stomach makes — this is a good thing

So does alkaline water “hydrate” you better than tap water? 

No.

How does ionization of water work?

What changes water from alkaline to acidic to normal are the chemicals in the water. Do not let the companies fool you, the only way to make water change from a normal pH to either acid or alkaline is by what is put into the water. Water is two chemicals – hydrogen and oxygen (H2O) and the pH of that is 7. The ONLY way to change that is by adding more chemicals. Ionization of water is made by adding either calcium or magnesium to give water an alkaline pH – and often it is calcium making a calcium bicarbonate. Not that this is a bad thing – but regular water and the occasional Tums is less expensive.  The use of ionization, the makers say, separates molecules of water (two atoms, oxygen and hydrogen in water). If you separate oxygen and hydrogen in the water they will reform quickly and the only way to make water stay alkaline is by adding other chemicals to the water.

Are their risks to Alkaline Water?

There are risks to everything. But there have been side effects that have been noted from nausea and vomiting to muscle twitches and tingling of skin and even confusion.

Your body compensates for alkaline water

Your body will not change its pH no matter how much water you drink, or if you eat alkaline foods. These are myths perpetuated by those who do not understand the fundamental physiological systems the body has to maintain a neutral pH.

Made in Scottsdale and sold everywhere

Single Bottles

We do not need more plastic water bottles – we need to use tap water, and if you don’t like the tap water you can have it filtered.

What Happens When You Drink Alkaline Water

Your stomach fluids get mildly diluted from the acid and your stomach senses this, so your body makes more acid in your stomach to maintain the acidic pH of your stomach. If you use too much and dilute things then you can develop intoxication of the water and potentially develop lowering of your blood sodium level go into muscle twitches, convulsions, and die. If you have less, your body will notice no effect whatsoever.