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Alkaline Ionized Water: More than Just Hydration

We all know that we should drink more water but from filtered to fluoridated and from artesian well to tap, when it comes to knowing what are the best kinds of water to drink, the recommendations aren’t so clear.

In recent years, much attention has been made to the quality of water rather than just drinking enough to support hydration. Some health and nutrition experts feel that if you’re not drinking water with the proper balance of minerals and micronutrients, you’re doing yourself a big disservice.

When it comes to water, it doesn’t take someone with a degree in chemistry to know that not all waters are created equally. But an advanced degree in science may help to shed light on just what makes one kind of potable water better than another, and it has to do with water’s balance of acid and alkaline components.

Researchers are just beginning to look at how the body’s pH balance is impacting the ability to prevent disease and illness and maintain overall wellness.

A pH measurement calculates acidity and alkalinity of a substance, whether it’s coffee, water, soda, saliva or blood. The pH scale measures from 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral, 0 being very acidic and 14 being alkaline, in other words, the lower on the pH scale, the more acidic a substance is.

“Our bodies have a meticulous way of keeping our pH level of our blood hovering around 7.65,” says Bill Wheeler, president of Shelby Township-based Healthy Living Technologies. “If it should fall to 7.0, you would die. So the body does what it needs to protect that pH level and it does so by taking minerals from our bones and organs, which are high predominantly alkaline. These minerals the help to counteract the acidity that we take in through the foods and drinks we consume.”

Unfortunately, a good deal of the American diet is off the charts when it comes to acidity. Refined grains, white sugar, processed foods and salt are big acid-producing foods as are most meats, dairy and coffee.  Those who follow an alkaline diet believe that consuming acid-producing foods disrupts the pH balance and promotes the loss of essential minerals. This imbalance is thought to make people more prone to illness.

According to Wheeler, you would have to drink 32 glasses of regular tap water in order to neutralize the acid-producing effects from one glass of cola.

But certain beverages and foods have a beneficial effect on the body’s pH balance. Green tea, cod liver oil and structured alkaline water can increase the absorption of key nutrients and promote balanced pH levels.

Alkaline water is a product of an innovative technology that filters and reforms ordinary tap water through a process known as electrolysis, which separates the water into alkaline and acidic water and creates extra electrons. Once the process is complete, alkaline water contains three unique properties making it a specific kind of water.

First, alkaline water is an antioxidant because it contains an extra electron, which it can then donate to free radicals to neutralize them. Free radicals are unstable molecules that cause DNA damage and have been associated with the formation of certain diseases and health conditions like Alzheimer’s, other neurodegenerative conditions and heart disease.  The extra electron from the alkaline water comes in to stabilize the free radical, thereby halting its ability to impart damage to other cells.

Secondly, alkaline water works to promote proper pH balance in the body because of its specially formulated alkaline content.  And thirdly, alkaline water has a different and more compact molecular structure to it, making it more hydrating and detoxifying, says Wheeler.

An alkaline water system is a particular device that is placed right onto your water line and is attached to your kitchen sink. Loyal drinkers of alkaline water claim that it has a lighter taste than regular water and a slight sweeter twinge to it as well. It can be used in all cooking and boiling methods but when doing the dishes, the device can simply be bypassed to allow regular tap water to be used.

Alkaline water technologies are making a splash all over, particularly in Asian countries like Japan where they are used in hospitals and healing centers as a way to promote health and facilitate the recovery and repair from illness or surgery.

But if you have acute or chronic kidney failure, a pre-existing heart condition or take medications that affect your body’s potassium levels, talk to your doctor first before equipping your home with an alkaline water system.