We can all learn to question our cherished assumptions!
I’ve seen many alkaline mineral water “experts” on the internet regularly assert that alkaline mineral water is neutralized in the stomach and so can’t change blood pH at all. Never. Nope. Sorry. Because it can…and does!
This has been said many times to prove some point or other, even asserting it was such a basic, fundamental truth that it just cannot be disputed. Well now, here is a recent study that seems to prove them all completely wrong … as I always said on this website!
I’ve seen many so-called “experts” on the internet regularly assert that alkaline water is neutralized in the stomach and so it can’t change blood pH at all. However, it can and often does!
It turns out that alkaline mineral water actually can raise blood pH — at least when the conditions are right such as after physical activity). That means the pH of water survives our highly acidic digestive system with at least some of it’s alkalinity still intact. This study was a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial that examined 52 men, and found that alkaline water raised blood pH in all of them — within the normal range for blood pH, of course.
Researchers discovered that drinking alkaline mineral water actually raised the men’s arterial blood pH by 0.04 to 0.07. That may sound like only a tiny change, but it isn’t. The normal range for your blood is a pH of 7.35 – 7.45. This means the normal pH range of the blood is only one-tenth of a pH!
A change of four one-hundredths to seven one-hundredths of a pH is a 40 – 70% increase of pH inside the normal range for your blood’s pH!
The effects of drinking alkaline mineral water were compared to the effects of drinking water with a neutral pH as a control. Drinking water with a neutral pH was not shown to have an effect on blood pH in this study. Researchers concluded, “These results support the hypothesis that HRW administration is safe and may have an alkalizing effect in young physically active men.”
This study is some of the strongest proof that alkaline water has health benefits because of the way it was a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial — the gold standard in medical studies.
Alkaline Water Skeptics Neutralized
Alkaline mineral water skeptics like to say that alkaline water is neutralized in the stomach. However, this study proves them wrong! Since we now know that alkaline water raises blood pH, it must survive the stomach and intestines with some alkalinity.
Of course, alkaline water cannot raise your blood pH outside the normal blood pH range. Bit it clearly does show that it is possible to raise blood pH towards the top of the normal range!
Most health experts recommend drinking alkaline mineral water with a pH of 9 – 9.5 daily. Drink a glass in the morning when you wake up and during the day drink as much alkaline water as you normally would. Exceptions include: (1) Stop drinking alkaline mineral water an hour before meals, and (s) Wait an hour after a meal before drinking. Remember, you don’t want it to dilute the digestive liquids in your stomach that are breaking down the food.
Alkaline mineral water is great to battle fatigue as well as muscular acidosis, and is the best water you can get while working out. For workouts drink the highest level pH water made by your ionizer from an hour before through the end of your workout. Afterwards resume drinking 9.5 pH alkaline water.
For heartburn, acid indigestion or reflux drink your maximum pH alkaline water. Don’t forget that alkaline water provides gradual relief, so don’t hesitate to take an antacid if you need t. At bedtime, drink a glass of alkaline water an hour before bed because it can help prevent a heart attack or stroke.
Metabolic syndrome is a chronic condition in which your pH balance is chronically low for several months or years. It’s like a constant state of acidosis. If you experience metabolic syndrome you’ll have at least 3 of these symptoms:
-
Obesity
-
High Blood Pressure
-
Kidney Stones
-
High blood sugar
-
High Cholesterol Levels
The lower your urine pH is the more metabolic syndrome symptoms you experience. Alkaline water can increase your urine pH, helping to fight metabolic syndrome. You don’t have to raise urine pH much to affect the symptoms as the difference between having them all the and perfect health is just half of one pH!
References
- Ostojic, Sergej, and Marko Stonanovic. “Hydrogen-Rich Water Affected Blood Alkalinity in Physically Active Men.” . Research in Sports Medicine: An International Journal, 06 Jan 2014. Web. 20 Feb 2014. <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15438627.2013.852092>.
- Abraham, Guy, and Jorge Flebas. “The effect of daily consumption of 2 liters of electrolyzed water for 2 months on body composition and several physiological parameters in four obese subjects: a preliminary report.” Highbeam Research. Original Internist, 01 Sep 2011. Web. 2 Jul 2013. <http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-269433201.html>.
- Maalouf, N, M Cameron, and et al. Low Urine pH: A Novel Feature of the MetabolicSyndrome.”Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. American Society of Nephrology, 29 May 2007. Web. 2 Jul 2013. <http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/2/5/883.full.pdf>.
- Heil, P and Seifert, J. Influence of bottled water on rehydration following a dehydrating bout of cycling exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition Springerlink July 2009. http://www.springerlink.com/content/kn41764j65165u3x/fulltext.pdf
Also read:
https://rawfoodlife.com/the-science-of-living-alkaline-water/
