What are the Pros and Cons of Alkaline Water?
Water that has a pH level higher than 7.0 is known to be less acidic as compared to your standard tap water. This is known as alkaline water.
What Exactly Is pH Level?
The pH scale starts from 0 and ends at 14. Liquids that are between 0 to 7 are qualified to be acidic, while the ones between 7 and 14 are defined as alkaline. For example, these are the pH levels of different types of liquids:
- Wine has a pH level that ranges between 5 to 3.5.
- Beer has a pH level that ranges from 4.0 to 5.0.
- Seawater has a pH level that is around 8.0.
- Cleaning detergents have a very high pH level of 12.0+.
A lot of contradicting accounts regarding the health-related impact of water’s pH level are out there. The WHO (World Health Organisation) states that there isn’t any health-based guideline value when it comes to pH. On the other hand, many people consider that the optimum pH of drinking water is between 7.5 and 9.5.
Coming straight to the point, you will find a plethora of different articles all over the internet when it comes to alkaline water. You will find articles claiming it to be the ultimate saviour, while others claim that it will destroy the world. Unfortunately, this type of polarity can define the internet at times and people tend to jump to all sorts of conclusions, coming up with bizarre attention-grabbing headlines, while missing crucial points regarding the subject.
Since we are the advocates of alkaline water, it is our duty to explain all of the pros and cons of alkaline water. This will contain no confusing scientific data, only the important facts you should know when it comes to alkaline water.
An alkaline water filter is known for enhancing the pH level of drinking water, however, the benefits of this process are often overlooked. In this post, you will find the pros and cons of alkaline water to help you understand it better.
Pros of Alkaline Water
1. Antioxidants
Since alkaline water has low ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential) levels, it contains remarkable antioxidant properties. This helps in working against free radicals. ORP is known as the measurement of oxidising agents and reducing agents. Alkaline water has high levels of reducing agents, which makes it quite effective in tackling free radicals (known as oxidising agents) as compared to your standard drinking water. Also, not all types of alkaline water form a negative ORP level which is enough for lowering the levels of free radicals, but a five-stage activated carbon process can give the water this powerful capacity.
2. A Strong Cardio Boost
When it comes to hydration, alkaline water is known to be better than your standard mineral water. In 2010, a study was published by Daniel P. Heli in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. This study claimed that drinking alkaline water with an increased pH level of 10.0 comes with a better hydration status as compared to consumption of ‘placebo water.’ Moreover, the participants who are provided with the alkalised supplement also showed high levels of cardiorespiratory capacity, including upper body power levels.
3. Helps In Soothing Acid Reflux
Drinking alkaline water also helps with reducing acid reflux - known as heartburn. Another study by Daniel P. Heli discovered improved acid-base balance when participants drank alkaline water as compared to basic tap water.
Cons of Alkaline Water
1. Stomach pH
This is the most important con of drinking alkaline water. Changing the water’s pH content for better hydration will not change the pH levels within your stomach over time. The pH level of the human stomach is around 1.5-3.5. That pH is needed to help the digestion process along, hence, it cannot be altered just by water consumption. The pH level within the stomach is slightly raised through digestion after we eat and drink. Once the digestion process has been completed, the pH will go back to its natural level. Therefore, drinking alkaline water will cancel out the effects of the extra stomach acids that has been accumulated within our diets, but it cannot permanently change the pH levels in the stomach.
2. The Cost
Alkaline water is known to be very costly. This is true when it comes to larger, ioniser tanks whose price could go as high as $4,000. But, alkaline water isn’t categorically expensive. You are able to reap similar benefits by using a countertop alkaline water filter, which will cost you only a fraction of the price of a standard ioniser machine. Plus, it will give you revitalising alkaline water for about $4 per litre, which is a 30th of the price of your standard bottled water.
3. Blood pH
The blood in our bodies has a pH level of about 7.35, making it slightly alkaline. Similar to the stomach, the human body consists of numerous mechanisms that control the pH level of the blood. Hence, consuming alkaline water isn’t going to change that, fortunately. This specific pH level should always remain steady and is key to healthy body function.
Conclusion
Pros and cons of alkaline water have always been up for a debate. There are people who claim that not enough scientific proof is present to show the benefits of consuming alkaline water. However, clinical studies have shown improvements in cardiorespiratory capacity and hydration from drinking alkaline water. Moreover, there is pretty much no scientific evidence that claim to show negative side effects of alkaline water. When looking at the bigger picture in the case of alkaline water, the many benefits (enhanced hydration, cardiorespiratory capacity, mineralization, etc.) outweigh the mentioned drawbacks.
It is not possible to mention all of the speculation that comes with the benefits and drawbacks of alkaline water in one article. But, if you are interested, you can test out the benefits yourself by trying out our refillable Alkaline Water Filter.