Alkaline water drinking:
What
is alkaline water?
Alkaline
water drinking is the subject of heated controversy
these days. Does it truly improve health, as those
who drink it state, or is it no more effective than tap
water
according to its critics?
In this article, we will look at a
simple but clear answer to the question, "What is alkaline
water?" and
how it relates to health, as well as how you can determine
if alkaline water can benefit you.
What is alkaline water?
To truly understand what alkaline water is and the effect
alkaline water drinking can have on one's health, we
need to take a look at the subject of the pH
of the human body because that is what it is related to.
The symbol "pH" stands for "potential
of hydrogen" and is a chemistry term. The "H" in
pH is capitalized because the symbol for hydrogen is
capital H. The pH scale reflects the concentration of
hydrogen particles (called "ions"1) in a solution.2
The varying degrees of concentration
of hydrogen ions in a solution is represented by a scale,
the pH
scale.
A
low pH number
corresponds to a high hydrogen ion concentration, which
makes the solution acidic, and vice versa. When a substance
is added to water and it increases the concentration
of hydrogen ions (lowers the pH), it is called an acid.
A substance that reduces the concentration of hydrogen
ions when added to water (raises the pH) is called a
base, or alkaline.
Additionally, and key to understanding
how alkaline water drinking may benefit health, there
are substances called "buffers" that
resist pH changes when an acid or base is added. Buffers
are very important in helping organisms maintain a relatively
constant pH.
In the
human body, there are three primary systems that regulate
the hydrogen ion concentration (ph level) in the body
fluids to prevent acidosis3 or
alkalosis4:
- the chemical acid-base buffer systems
of the body fluids, (known as the bicarbonate
buffering systems)
which immediately combine with acid or base (alkali)
to prevent excessive changes in hydrogen ion concentration
(pH level) (this is the system that alkaline water drinking
most directly affects);
- the respiratory center, which regulates the removal
of CO2 (carbon dioxide) and, therefore, carbonic acid5
from the extra cellular fluid; and
- the kidneys, which can excrete either acid or alkaline
urine, thereby readjusting the extra cellular fluid hydrogen
ion concentration toward normal during acidosis or alkalosis.
It is interesting to observe that critics usually
omit the buffer system which is most relevant to
the effects
of alkaline water drinking. They only list the respiratory
system and the kidneys as regulating the pH of the human
body, insinuating that the body simply automatically
adjusts body fluid pH without any regard to actions we
take regarding our bodies and our health (or lack of
it.)
If that were true, then why is some food and drink
considered healthy and other food and drink is unhealthy?
The omitted data is that
what we eat and drink does indeed affect our health.
After
food
and drink is digested,
it posesses a certain pH, either acidic or alkaline to
one degree or another. The situation in today's society
is that the diet of the majority of Americans and people
in developed countries is very acid forming instead of
balanced with both alkaline forming and acidic forming
foods.
Too much fast and processed
food which is stripped of or lacking nutrients, carbonated
beverages, lack of sufficient fresh vegetables
and
fruits (which are alkalizing) plus
environmental stresses are all contributing to bodies
that are excessively acidic and toxic, which overwhelm
the body's natural ability to handle.
We only have
to look
at the incidences of illnesses that are becoming epidemic
in our society (obesity, diabetes, fatigue just to name
a few) to realize that our bodies are not able to automatically
adjust and handle overwhelming factors. Too much acid-forming
food and drink cause acidosis and deplete the alkaline
buffers in the body that normally neutralize too much
acid.
Alkaline water drinking
can help the body that has been subject to a poor diet
and habitual soda drinking
return
to a state where ph is in a healthy range throughout
the body – a condition essential for the body to
function properly. The health
benefits of drinking water are significant to health
itself whether you choose to add alkaline water or not
to your lifestyle.
Alkaline
water is water that has gone through a process of changing
the hydrogen
molecules from
a neutral pH
of about 7, to a solution with less hydrogen ions,
giving it an alkaline quality. In
this state, it has the ability to neutralize acidic
solutions.
This gives it strong antioxidant properties
because the negatively charged hydrogen ions are free
to attach to destructive free radicals and thus neutralize
them.
If
you are really interested in improving your health
by adding alkaline water drinking
to your lifestyle,
I suggest first testing your urine or saliva pH to
get an idea of where you stand. When I first tested
my pH
several years ago, it was quite acidic. That was
before I learned about how my diet affects pH and
I drank
several diet Pepsis a day!
Alkaline
water drinking and balancing my diet with both alkaline
and acid-forming foods, as
well as limiting things like sodas and other highly
acidic foods,
are now key factors in my personal
health improvement and maintenance routine. When
I test my pH, it's in the healthy pH range.
Some
of
the alkaline
water benefits that I have personally experienced
are better quality of sleep, smoother and more
effective weight loss, clear skin, no colds or
flu, and overall
feeling that my body is running better! That
worth continuing to include alkaline water drinking in
my
lifestyle to
me!
Cheers,
BB
1 ion: An ion is an atom or molecule in which
the total number of electrons is not equal to the total
number
of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical
charge. It is from the Greek word iov, meaning "going. "
2 solution: Chemistry
term meaning:
a. the process by which a gas, liquid, or solid is
dispersed evenly in a gas, liquid, or solid without
chemical change.
b.
such a substance, as dissolved sugar or salt in solution.
c.
a homogeneous, molecular mixture of two or more substances.
3 acidosis: An abnormal increase in the acidity of the
body's fluids, caused either by accumulation of acids
or by depletion of bicarbonates
Ref: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/acidosis
4 alkalosis: A dangerous
decrease in the normal acidity of the blood. There is
too much base in the blood and
body. This is a distinctly abnormal condition. It results
from the accumulation of base or from the depletion of
acid. The pH of the alkalotic body is above normal. Alkalosis
can be caused by high altitudes, hyperventilation, and
excessive vomiting. The opposite of alkalosis is acidosis
in which there is too low a pH due to excess acid or
insufficient base in the body.
Ref:
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=6852
5 Carbonic acid plays an important role in keeping the
body's pH stable. The normal pH of bodily fluids
is around 7.4 and must be kept close to this value in
order for the body to function properly. If the pH changes,
whether up or down, enzymes can stop functioning, muscles
and nerves can start weakening, and metabolic activities
becomes impaired. The bicarbonate ion released from carbonic
acid serves as a buffer that helps resist changes in
pH. This means it can act as an acid or a base as the
need arises.
Ref:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-carbonic-acid.htm
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