Drinking plenty of water each day will not only replenish your body but keep illnesses down. Good hydration is important for every part of your body so it can function properly. The element known as alkaline water is catching on like wildfire with its many elements that can balance your body's pH, increase your level of energy, and prevent many diseases.
Experts know an acidic environment will increase the growth of bacteria so it's important you change your diet to include more alkaline and less acid. By doing so, you will keep harmful bugs down. Unfortunately, in theory, this doesn't make sense because acids are used to kill off bacteria! That said, you have to ask yourself if alkaline really does offer any health benefits?
Waterdrop is here to answer many of your questions regarding alkaline, the latest H2O craze.
Just What Is Alkaline Water?
Unlike the water out of your tap or bottled water, alkaline water offers a higher pH. Regular drinking water has a neutral pH of 7 whereas alkaline has a pH of 8 or 9. Alkaline water has alkaline minerals that will help to boost the pH in your body and provide better health benefits. These minerals include calcium, potassium, and magnesium which are largely missing in most Western diets.
The Benefits From Consuming Alkaline Water
Simply put, alkaline water is medicinal, offering health-healing elements, and excellent health. The latest findings show acidic properties found in your body and blood are caused by ill health and disease and should be subdued. More alkaline in your body will lead to greater health. There are four important minerals in alkaline water that contribute to several important health benefits:
Calcium – This is important for your bone health as well as your heart, muscles, and nerve functions.
Magnesium – Turns food into energy and is required for well over 300 biochemical reactions in your body. Biochemical is a process as well as a substance that takes place in living organisms.
Sodium – Controls your blood pressure and volume while supporting nerve and muscle functions.
Potassium – This is a type of electrolyte that is critical for muscle functions and promotes healthy digestion.
There are many opinions regarding the benefits of drinking alkaline water including support for your immune system, weight loss, and resistance against cancer. Unfortunately, most of these opinions have not been proven in scientific research. That said, there are several incredible health benefits of drinking alkaline water that has been scientifically proven. We are here to share some of these benefits with you.
Negative Side Effects And Risks From Alkaline Water
While there are many positive beliefs that are considered safe, there can be some negative side effects. Some negative side effects include decreasing natural stomach acidity which helps kill bacterial and prevents other unwanted pathogens from getting into your bloodstream.
Too much alkalinity in your body can lead to gastrointestinal issues and skin irritations.
Too much alkalinity in your body may also disturb your body's normal pH which can lead to metabolic alkalosis which is a condition that could produce several conditions:
- nausea
- vomiting
- hand tremors
- tingling in your face or your hands and feet
- confusion
Alkalosis is a condition that affects the pH of your blood and fluids and usually happens when your pH levels are not in balance. This condition can also cause a decrease in free calcium in your body which will affect your bone health. The most common cause of hypocalcemia is from a nonactive parathyroid gland, not from drinking alkaline water.
Alkaline Water And Hydration
Athletes and those who exercise regularly will benefit from drinking alkaline but kidney patients should steer clear. This is because alkaline water is good for active people in order to retain more fluid in their cardiovascular system but will decrease the urine output and blood osmolality. This is really important to understand because high plasma osmolality is associated with elevated risks of death from strokes. Osmolality is a test that measures the concentration of all chemical particles found in the fluid of blood and is performed with a urine test.
Research shows that these effects might not be immediate but gradual.
Alkaline water could possibly improve your overall hydration over a period of time and proper hydration is important to your health but does require further research.