Dangers of Drinking Alkaline Water

Many voices, especially in the bottled water industry, hail alkaline water as the next big thing.

Tracking down information about the benefits of alkaline water isn’t hard – but that’s not what we’re here to discuss. Instead, we take a look at some of the negatives and examine whether concerns about alkaline water dangers have a basis in truth.

Additionally, we delve into some of the science behind alkaline water, including how it works, how it’s made, and what it might be doing to your body.

What is Alkaline Water?

Alkaline water is the subject of many health claims.

Some companies claim alkaline water can slow the aging process, prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, and help create regularity in your body’s pH level.

So, what really is alkaline water, why is it such a big deal, and should we be concerned about the dangers of drinking alkaline water?

Alkaline is a property that simply means the pH of a substance is higher than 7.0, or “neutral” pH.

Alkalinity is the opposite of acidity, which indicates a pH of lower than 7.0.

Examples of acidic substances include lemon juice, vinegar, and battery acid, whereas examples of alkaline substances include common household items like baking soda and milk of magnesia.

Distilled water is neutral, with a pH of 7.0. However, the water you drink from the tap might be higher or lower depending on the chemicals introduced during the treatment performed by your local water authority.

Installing a tap water filter in your home is an effective way to remove chemicals, purify the water, and return it to a neutral pH.

Taking the information above into account, alkaline water, then, is just water that has a pH higher than 7.0.

How is Alkaline Water Made?

There are a number of methods employed to increase the alkaline properties of water.

Typically, water goes through an ionizing process, which involves dissolving carbon into the water creating a substance called bicarbonate.

Other ways of alkalizing water include using special filters, faucet attachments, and additives that raise the pH levels into the alkaline range (7.0 to 14.0).

Alkalizing compounds such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and carbon alter the pH of ordinary water.

Companies mix these elements and suggest to the consumer there are health benefits to drinking this alkaline water. Increasingly, processes that alkalize water are becoming industrialized, and manufacturing is more efficient.

What Does Alkaline Water Do to Your Body?

Let’s look at how alkaline water can affect your body and specifically try to understand the dangers of alkaline water.

Spurious claims from companies frequently suggest alkaline water can “energize” and “detoxify” the body, resulting in “superior hydration.”

Some even extend these assertions to indicate alkaline water has properties that act to prevent everything from headaches to cancer.

The most common explanation for its benefit, however, is that it helps neutralize acidic compounds in the body that might cause harm and that it lowers the body’s overall pH level.

There is limited evidence to suggest that drinking higher pH water has any appreciable effect on the overall pH of the body.

Furthermore, there is little scientific evidence behind the idea that this would even offer a benefit to your health.

Examining the body, we know our organs regulate the pH of our blood to maintain a steady pH of approximately 7.4, slightly toward the alkali end of the scale.

Our stomachs secrete hydrochloric acid, which is very strong acid with a pH of around 1.5 to 3.5.

Our bodies utilize this acid to kill pathogens in our food and digest proteins efficiently, making it an important part of digestion.

As a result, slightly alkalized water quickly gets neutralized by the highly acidic environment in the stomach.

Installing a tap water filter in your home is an effective way to remove chemicals, purify the water, and return it to a neutral pH.

Suppose, however, that claims made by companies who sell alkaline water are true.

Even in this case, it is important to remember that each organ system operates at its optimal pH range suited to its specific mix of chemicals and the reactions that take place there.

If the pH of one of these systems skews outside its normal range, that may be a symptom of an underlying health issue.

Without understanding the cause of pH imbalance, it is impossible to assess the dangers of drinking alkaline water and the impact that it could have on your health.

Strongly alkalized water, with a pH of 11 or higher, poses similar risks to consuming highly acidic drinks.

It can act as an irritant to your eyes, skin, and mucous membranes. Additionally, the World Health Organization warns that strongly alkaline water can lead to gastrointestinal problems.

These alkaline water dangers are just a small part of a bigger range of risks associated with consuming non-neutral water.

Metabolic alkalosis is a condition that can arise from a disruption of the body’s normal pH through the consumption of alkaline water.

This can provoke the emergence of serious health issues such as confusion, vomiting, nausea, hand tremors, muscle twitching, and tingling in the hands, face, or feet.

Is Alkaline Water Better for You Than Plain Water?

There is no reason to believe that most alkaline water is unsafe for human consumption.

Despite this, there are some negative side effects which can be considered real alkaline water dangers.

Clean filtered water has a neutral pH, which helps your body to stay in balance.

This balance within your body and maintenance of a consistent pH among organ groups is essential to your continued good health.

Many biochemical processes within the body rely on a specific pH level, and the body actively works to maintain that.

Pure, neutral-pH water is easy for the body to utilize in a variety of processes, and it enables the body to regulate its own pH, whereas alkaline water can cause a disruption.

Enzymes in our body work best at very specific pH levels. These enzymes enable chemical processes within our body that are crucial to normal function and good health.

Some companies claim alkaline water can slow the aging process, prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, and help create regularity in your body’s pH level.

If this pH is changed, it can reduce or stop the function of enzymes. The result of this can be very serious, and a disturbed pH level in the body requires urgent medical attention.

If left untreated, an irregular pH in one of your organs can cause irreparable damage.

Vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys are at risk if you consume a drink that aims to alter the pH of these systems beyond normal limits.

Alkaline Water Can Be Dangerous While on Medication

Another of the dangers of drinking alkaline water is the potential for it to react with medicine. Roughly 90 percent of Americans are either on prescribed medication or regularly use over-the-counter treatments.

Scientists have shown that alkaline water is highly reactive with most medications and can produce dangerous, toxic chemicals inside the body.

If you are taking any medication, drink only clean filtered water. Avoid alkaline water during your treatment.

Alkaline Water Can Keep the Digestive System from Functioning Normally

Many Americans diet regularly for health reasons, and nowadays, people are increasingly conscious about the health choices they make and the food they eat.

When deciding whether to use alkaline water, it is important to consider nutrition carefully to avoid issues that might arise due to interactions with your diet.

Digestive efficiency depends on your internal organs functioning at an optimal level.

The stomach relies heavily on maintaining a consistent pH level, and the same is true for other elements of your digestive system.

These organs work to eliminate toxins and absorb nutrients as efficiently as possible.

Chemical processes that occur in the digestive tract need the right conditions to take place, and the body can only absorb nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, when it meets these conditions.

The body must maintain a certain level of acidity to break down the tight bonds of vitamins and minerals held in the foods that make up a healthy diet.

For this reason, it is critical your body’s pH does not shift too far in any direction.

Animal studies have shown that frequent consumption of alkaline water can significantly stunt growth by limiting the capacity of your digestive organs to absorb essential nutrients.

Vitally, alkaline water can seriously affect the function of pepsin, which your body needs to efficiently break down proteins for use in the growth and repair of cells.

Alkaline Water Can Negatively Affect the Immune System

In addition to nutrient absorption, acidity in your gut plays a crucial role in your body’s defense against outside invasion.

Pathogens that enter the body through the food and drink we consume cause disease.

Food made with an unhygienic preparation process or left to go past its consume-by date poses a higher risk of carrying pathogens that may infect the body.

Thankfully, humans possess an immune system that can fight off diseases with incredible effectiveness.

Our immune system works in number of ways, but the first line of defense against pathogens in our food resides in our stomachs.

When you first consume food, it travels to the highly acidic environment of the stomach, which it maintains by secreting hydrochloric acid.

Many microorganisms and pathogens that we may inadvertently consume cannot survive very long in this extreme acidity.

They die in the gut as a result and pass through the body without multiplying and causing disease.

Scientists have shown that alkaline water is highly reactive with most medications and can produce dangerous, toxic chemicals inside the body.

By raising the pH of your stomach, you limit the capacity of your immune system to destroy harmful microorganisms and pathogens, making yourself more vulnerable to disease. This is one of the main dangers of alkaline water.

Other Health Risks That Can Be Caused by Alkaline Water

Aside from the risks detailed above, alkaline water can cause other health issues as well:

·         Digestion problems –Alkaline water can seriously disrupt nutrient absorption, leading to indigestion and malnutrition.

People over 60 years of age are at highest risk and should not drink alkaline water. Doctors refer to digestion problems resulting from the over-consumption of alkaline water as milk-alkali syndrome.

A symptom of this condition is lower-than-normal calcium levels that can negatively affect the digestive system and even the brain.

·         Cardiovascular problems – Animal testing has shown that rats who consumed alkaline water instead of regular clean water with a neutral pH suffered severe and permanent damage to their cardiovascular systems (how your heart transports oxygen around the body through the blood).

Alkaline water can cause an increased number of enzymes to be present in the cardiovascular system.

This, in turn, poses a risk to the heart and the other essential components of the circulatory system.

·         Dehydration – Too may ions (which alkaline water contains in high numbers) present in your system forces your body to expel water to neutralize the influx.

This process occurs on a cellular level and has no benefit to your health.

The best way to stay hydrated is by installing a tap water filter and drinking fresh, clean water on a regular basis.

·         Bone health issues – Alkalosis, a condition that results from too much alkaline substances in the body, can decrease the usable calcium in your system.

In turn, this has the potential to weaken your bones and limit your body’s ability to repair damage to the skeletal system.

·         Kidney function impairment – One function of the kidneys is to maintain healthy pH levels within your body.

Altering the pH levels of the body puts extra strain on your kidneys and limits their ability to carry out other vital tasks that maintain your health.

Additionally, because of this process, chemicals found in alkaline water can accumulate within the kidneys, causing further impairment to kidney function with potentially serious results.

·         Other side effects – Commonly associated dangers of drinking alkaline water too often are vomiting, hand tremors, muscle twitching, tingling or numbness in your extremities and face, muscular pains, and headaches.

Anyone considering incorporating alkaline water into their regular diet must be very wary of the risks and avoid frequent consumption – or any consumption at all.

Does Alkaline Water Have Benefits?

We’ve looked briefly at the dangers of drinking alkaline water, but is there any truth to the beneficial claims some companies make?

What’s behind all the buzz surrounding alkaline water, and can it offer a tangible benefit when consumed by humans?

The Mayo Clinic suggests that regular water, adequately filtered, is still best for most people, and it cites there is a lack of scientific evidence that conclusively supports the claims made by proponents of alkaline water.

A scientific review published in The BMJ found that among the papers, they examined that studied alkaline water, “none […] supported the promotions that suggest alkaline water supports good health.”

Let’s look closely at what, exactly, the supporters of alkaline water are saying:

·         “Alkaline water can help to prevent chronic low-grade acidosis” – Little evidence suggests this condition even exists.

·         “Alkaline water can help your immune system” – There may be some truth to this one. Alkaline water does possess the potential for negative oxidation-reduction potential. This can help protect you from pathogens.

However, scientists have carried out lab tests that demonstrate this doesn’t apply to many of the pathogens you are likely to encounter in daily life.

·         “Alkaline water is essential for athletes” – Some small privately funded studies suggest this could be the case, but the truth is less clear.

Drinking water typically helps prevent dehydration through the action of replacing fluids lost through perspiration during exercise.

The issue is that high pH alkaline water may contribute to dehydration and, combined with physical activity, this poses a risk to gym-goers and sports professionals.

·         “Alkaline water prevents cancer” – This is undoubtedly one of the boldest and most intriguing claims consumers face.

However, is this a responsible assertion to make in advertising when considering the dangers of alkaline water?

Dr. Tanis Fenton and his colleagues published a review of the effects of alkalis on cancer in the journal BMJ Open.

In the review, they examined thousands of studies but found that none directly related the effects of alkaline water to a cancer-incidence reduction in humans.

In fact, their conclusion is as follows: “Despite the promotion of the alkaline diet and alkaline water by the media and salespeople, there is almost no actual research to either support or disprove these ideas.

Vitally, alkaline water can seriously affect the function of pepsin, which your body needs to efficiently break down proteins for use in the growth and repair of cells.

The World Health Organization (WHO) note that, just as too much acid is corrosive, so is too much alkali. Once again, pure filtered water is the safer choice.”

Additionally, they note: “In our experience, patients with cancer are approached by salespeople who are promoting water alkalinizers as a way to treat their cancer.”

Natural Alkaline Water

Drinking water is typically neutral, with a pH of around 7.0. This value means it isn’t acidic or alkaline.

To create alkaline water an industrial scale, devices called ionizers separate the hydrogen and oxygen in water molecules using electrodes on either side of a water-filled chamber.

These electrodes charge run electric current through the water, which pulls hydrogen atoms toward one end of the chamber.

This end of the chamber becomes alkaline due to the shift in hydrogen ions, leaving the other end of the chamber acidic.

In the middle of the chamber, a membrane prevents the water from mixing again, producing alkaline water with acidic water as a waste product.

This process does not occur in nature and results in water that has a very high pH of 12 to 13.

Alkaline water made this way this can cause many health and can be very dangerous to consume on a regular basis.

Water made artificially this way is not part of any purely natural diet.

Furthermore, industrial producers of alkaline water often mix the water with small amounts of platinum or titanium, both of which are toxic to humans.

Alkaline water can occur naturally, which usually results in a much lower pH of 8 to 8.5.

Naturally, alkaline water can emerge as the result of water passing through rocks, such as what happens in natural springs, picking up minerals along the way.

This water can offer real health benefits owing to its raised levels of calcium and magnesium, which are both good for your health.

Unfortunately, most water advertised as alkaline water goes through the ionization procedure and gets mixed with potentially harmful chemicals that can negate any beneficial effects.

Additionally, ionizers do not filter water, leaving in the contaminants that result from industrial water processing.

It is far better to install a tap water filter in your home that ensures you have constant access to balanced and clean water. Contact us for reverse osmosis system installation in New York City.

In fact, ionizers pose the risk of increasing the concentration of harmful chemicals found in tap water by two or three times the usual amount.

This is something that sellers of expensive ionizing devices fail to mention, and it can cause significant damage to your health if ignored.

We also know very little about the effects of ionization on unregulated contaminants in tap water, such as those resulting from pharmaceutical drugs consumed by other people in your area.

Anyone considering incorporating alkaline water into their regular diet must be very wary of the risks and avoid frequent consumption – or any consumption at all.

The health risks, in particular, are unknown and cannot be accounted for due to a lack of research.

However, we do know that alkaline water has the potential to react negatively with a lot of medication. This fact alone should be enough to feel concerned about the impact of ionizing your unfiltered tap water.

What PH is Best for Drinking Water?

Whenever the subject of alkaline water comes up, we recommend water with a neutral pH of around 7.0 instead.

Our bodies evolved and adapted to consuming water as it naturally occurs in the world around us. Installing a tap water filter gets rid of harmful chemicals or substances that can alter the pH of the water you drink.

This is the best option for healthy, natural hydration.

Conclusion

At best, the companies that seek to make a profit from selling alkaline water and ionizing devices exaggerate their claims.

At worst, it is possible these companies are masking some dangerous truths about the dangers of alkaline water and trying to capitalize on current trends to turn a quick buck.

While we have reviewed and addressed some of the benefits that filtered and natural alkaline water can offer, you should not consider it the standard option for hydration.

Be especially wary about consuming it on a long-term basis.

Make an informed judgment about its place in your diet and consider the effects it might have on your health.

High Water Standard can install a broad range of water filters, including alkaline water filters, to implement the decision you eventually settle on.