The Washington Post - 29.08.2019

13

DC

the washington post

.

thursday, august

29

,

2019

BY CHRISTY BRISSETTE

The idea that alkaline water
promotes health has been around
for decades. But with new mar-
keting, the same beverage is be-
ing promoted as a performance-
enhancing sports drink that’s at
least double the price of bottled
water. Global sales of alkaline
water are expected to reach
$1 billion this year, according to
food and beverage consultancy
Zenith Global.
But there’s no solid evidence
that these beverages boost en-
ergy, strengthen bones or fight
cancer, or that alkaline water is
any better than other types of
bottled water — or even tap water.
Here’s what you need to know
about this specialty waters.

What exactly is alkaline
water?

The terms acid and alkaline
refer to the pH level of a water-
based solution. The pH scale runs
from 0 to 14, with 0 being com-
pletely acidic, 14 being totally
alkaline and 7 being neutral. Lem-
on juice has a pH of 2, while
baking soda has a pH of 9. Water,
including tap water, has a pH of 7,
or neutral.
Alkaline water has a pH of up
to 8 or 9. It can be naturally
alkaline (for example, spring wa-
ter can contain minerals that
make it more alkaline), or it can
be ionized to make it that way.
Ionized water has been put
through an electrical process
called electrolysis (not to be con-
fused with the hair-removal treat-
ment with the same name). In t his
process, an electrical current is
sent through the water, separat-
ing the molecules into acidic ions
with a positive charge and alka-
line ones with a negative charge.
Then, the acidic ions are si-
phoned off, l eaving behind a more
alkaline water. The water can be
further enhanced or made even
more alkaline by adding alkaline
compounds such as minerals and
salts.

How does alkaline water
affect the body’s pH level?

A healthy body does an excel-
lent job of keeping its pH levels
within a narrow range called ac-
id-base balance. For example, the
acid in your stomach and the
alkaline secretions from the pan-
creas work to “even out” t he pH of
food and beverages. And your
lungs and kidneys keep the pH of
your blood tightly regulated be-
tween 7.35 to 7.45. So, whether
your water is more alkaline or
not, it will end up neutralized
once you ingest it.
You wouldn’t want your blood
to be more alkaline or more acidic
than these ranges, anyway, be-

cause that would indicate an un-

derlying health problem. Blood

that is too acidic or alkaline could

be a sign of liver, kidney or lung

disease.

What are alkaline water’s

alleged health benefits?

Manufacturers claim alkaline

water can boost energy or hydra-

tion, aid in digestion, or strength-

en bones because it neutralizes

acid in the body. But, as noted

above, your body does a fine job of

neutralizing acid on its own, and

these claims are based on flimsy

science.

One small study funded by an

ionized/alkaline water company

found that blood and urine pH

increased after participants

drank its water for two weeks

compared with a control group of

people who drank non-mineral-

ized bottled water. The values

were still within normal ranges,

however, and there isn’t any evi-

dence to suggest t hat these minor

shifts would promote better

health.

The researchers also claimed

that the alkaline water was more

hydrating because the average

urine output of the experimental

group was lower. But because

fluid intake was self-reported in

this study, we don’t know wheth-

er the two groups took in the

same amounts. As such, we can’t

conclude that urinating less was a

sign of being more hydrated.

Another study of 100 healthy

people funded by an ionized/alka-

line water company found that

drinking the company's water af-

ter exercising in a hot environ-

ment led to a smaller percent

change in a measure of blood

viscosity from baseline compared

with bottled water.

T he researchers proposed hav-

ing thinner blood could help peo-

ple get oxygen more efficiently

after exercise. We don’t know

whether that’s true. We do know

that blood viscosity isn’t a recog-

nized measure of hydration.

There haven’t been any re-

search studies demonstrating a

protective effect of alkaline water

against cancer in humans. And

research on alkaline water and

longevity has only been conduct-

ed on mice, so the findings can’t

be generalized to humans.

Claims that alkaline water may

help with acid reflux is based on

lab research. One study found

that alkaline water with a pH of

8.8 deactivates pepsin, a digestive

enzyme found in the stomach.

What happens in a Petri dish isn’t

indicative of what happens in

your body, so it’s a stretch to say

alkaline water will help with re-

flux.

In preliminary studies, alka-

line water (with sodium bicar-

bonate or baking soda in it or

added to it) has been shown to

reduce the concentration of

markers of bone breakdown. This

doesn’t mean consuming it is bet-

ter for long-term bone health,

because this hasn’t been mea-

sured. Researchers have postulat-

ed that bone health effects of

certain types of water could be

due to higher calcium content or

the presence of silica in some

alkaline water. Higher intakes of

silica, a mineral found in quartz,

is linked to higher bone density.

The U.S. Food and Drug Ad-

ministration has denied the use of

claims for health benefits of alka-

line water relating to bone health

due to insufficient evidence.

Potential drawbacks of

ionized and enhanced waters

Not only is alkaline water not

helpful, drinking it may have

drawbacks. Ionized or enhanced

water isn’t necessarily purified.

Make sure water you drink often

is properly filtered and/or from a

clean source without contami-

nants.

Though enhanced water may

have some minerals or other nu-

trients added to it, ionized or

processed alkaline water that has

been distilled or filtered via re-

verse osmosis may not contain

any minerals, making it less nu-

tritious; the World Health Or-

ganization advises against regu-

larly consuming water that has

low mineral content because it

could negatively affect your di-

gestive system and cause mineral

loss. Naturally alkaline water or

spring water are better choices

because they typically contain

minerals.

The bottom line about

alkaline water

Alkaline water isn’t n ecessarily

better. Instead, you should focus

on consuming water that’s fil-

tered and contains minerals and

making sure you’re getting

enough of it. According to the

National Academies of Sciences,

Engineering and Medicine,

healthy sedentary men need

about 15.5 cups of fluid and wom-

en need 11.5 cups of fluid each day

— and you get only about 20 per-

cent of that from food.

In most areas of the country,

you can safely and inexpensively

rely on tap water to fulfill your

fluid needs. You’ll be doing the

environment a favor, too: drink-

ing less bottled water means less

single-use plastic waste.

[email protected]

Christy Brissette is a registered

dietitian, nutrition writer, TV

contributor and president

of 80TwentyNutrition.com. Fo llow her

on Twitter @80twentyrule.

There’s no solid evidence alkaline water is better for you

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