Alkaline Water – Facts
Alkaline Water Some Useful Information
There are many claims made regarding the benefits of alkaline water, many of which are made by the manufacturers of expensive water ionisers, we have heard that alkaline water will reverse the aging process, alkalising the water will in turn neutralise the pH of your body or probably the most controversial of them all drinking alkaline water will prevent or reverse cancer. There is no scientific evidence to substantiate any of these claims, what we will do is stick to facts and provide honest and factual advice.
Alkaline water is water which measures over 8 in the pH scale which ranges from 1 being acidic to 14 being alkaline, 7 is pH neutral. In real terms products such as oven cleaners are highly alkaline whilst a lot of bathroom cleaners are acidic. It is important to note that the pH scale is not linear; in fact, the acronym “pH” is short for “potential of hydrogen.” The higher a liquid’s pH, the fewer free hydrogen ions it has; the lower its pH, the more free hydrogen ions it has. One pH unit reflects a tenfold change in ion concentration – for example, there are ten times as many hydrogen ions available at a pH of 7 than at a pH of 8.
So what is the fuss about why does it matter what pH the water is that we drink?
Tap water contains chlorine which has many draw backs, one issue of concern is the fact that chlorine will oxidise the body altering and destroying unsaturated essential fatty acids (EFA’s). This was proven in an experiment by J.P. Bercz in 1992, hypochlorite that is formed when chlorine is mixed with water generates excess free radicals oxidising EFA’s rendering them rancid. This is bad news as most Western diets are already lacking in Omega 3 (EFA). There is no doubt that removing chlorine from the tap water will help, it is also a fact that then alkalising the water will actually alter the Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP). High pH water has More “reducing” agents or anti oxidants (-ORP) and low pH water has more oxidizing agents (+ORP), this can be verified using an ORP meter.
Standard Carbon filtration will not alter the pH of water, reverse osmosis filtration will produce slightly acidic water, the addition of an alkaline filter to either system will raise the water to 8.5 or 10. The argument against alkaline water is that when the water reaches the stomach it is immediately neutralised by the stomach acid so what is the point?
You can find a multitude of arguments that are for and against this theory on the internet, interesting to note that the case against this is mainly made by retailers selling expensive ionisers.
What we do know is that the pH of the body should be around 7.35 and 7.45. If the blood pH goes above this range (alkaline) the lungs regain control by retaining carbon dioxide (breathing more slowly), while the kidneys excrete bicarbonate in urine making it more alkaline. Other ways of removing toxins from the blood are exercise such as yoga, the practice of Yoga cleanses the acids from the joints and organs through moving the body and breathing properly.
So why do we still choose to sell an alkaline filter and actually use one for our family? Here are our reasons which are based on facts not hyped up sales talk:
- There are no dangers from drinking alkaline water.
- It is now very affordable.
- A scientific study carried out and detailed at *www.jissn.com regarding alkaline water concluded that “the habitual consumption of AK water may be a valuable nutritional vector for influencing both acid-base balance and hydration status in healthy adults”.
- In Japan and Korea, alkaline water is registered as a health benefit and given to patients in hospitals, the testing regime is better supported and is more advanced than in the West.
*JISSN is aimed at researchers and sport enthusiasts focused on delivering knowledge on exercise and nutrition on health, disease, rehabilitation, training, and performance. The journal provides a platform on which readers can determine nutritional strategies that may enhance exercise and/or training adaptations leading to improved health and performance.
Alkaline Water Natural Ionisation
Around the world there are famous hydrogen rich waters such as Nordenau in Germany, Hita in Japan or Tlacote in Mexico.
The water that is produced has been found to have remarkable healing properties, active hydrogen was shown to exist in Nordenau by Prof.Shirahata. The finding implies that miraculous recovery from a variety of diseases obtained by the intake of water in Nordenau should be brought about by the scavenging ability of the active hydrogen contained in it.
Natural Alkaline Water Filters are now available which mimic the conditions found in such areas, providing water that has negative ORP, increased alkaline minerals such as Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium and is rich in Hydrogen.
Our bodies require oxygen to survive, unfortunately, oxygen is very susceptible to free radical formation, and with aerobic organisms, this can be lethal. Oxygen free radicals are implicated in the overall aging process and are responsible for cancer and inflammation in the skin. Oxygen free radicals cause lipid peroxidation, which results in damage to cell membranes and this can cause premature aging, skin cancer and cell death.
Hydrogen is the perfect antidote as hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water, reducing free radicals.
Natural alkaline ionisers will provide molecular hydrogen, additional H2 in drinking hydrogen water is unambiguously effective. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC32577…
In summary we are of the belief that a reverse osmosis water filter is the best way to ensure that you are drinking pure water, if you also want to enjoy the health benefits of anti oxidant water with low orp and increased molecular hydrogen you can combine the reverse osmosis system with an alkaline water filter.