Does Alkaline Water Have Any Health Benefits? [Or Side Effects]

Staying hydrated is crucial for anyone and everyone that wants to maintain their health.

Not only does it help to regulate body temperature and prevent illness, but it also ensures that your organs stay functioning properly.

In recent years, the topic of alkaline water has made waves as thousands of people have talked about the positive health benefits that drinking it can provide.

The rest of this article is focused on answering those questions and giving you a better idea of whether or not alkaline water can benefit your life.  So stick with me here, I also have a great video resource to complement my findings.

Is Alkaline Water Healthy For You?

Over the years, alkaline water has been promoted as a drink that can help you with everything from bone health to preventing or curing cancer.

And while there is no substantive evidence to back the bone health or cancer prevention claims, there is scientific evidence that it may help individuals with acid reflux or high blood pressure issues.

At this time, there isn’t a whole lot of studied and proven information on the health benefits of alkaline water to Regular water or normal water.

As with most things, it’s important to realize that different types of foods or liquids have differing effects on people.

While one person may find that alkaline normal water is the perfect answer to their acid reflux problems, another may find that there is no effect at all.

What is known, however, is that it is not dangerous to normal drinking water and that, at the very least, health experts provide the same major benefits that come with drinking any type of water (natural water).

At the end of the day, there may be several other benefits of drinking alkaline water that scientists have not yet been able to prove.

Can Alkaline Water Help You Live Longer?

In 2016, a study on alkaline water was done to determine if drinking alkaline water, as opposed to plain water, had any effect on the life span of mice.

Does Alkaline Help Athletes With Hydration?

Another common claim by some in the athletic world is that alkaline water can improve an athlete’s performance.

The theory is that, while drinking plain water or other liquids is necessary for all athletes, alkaline water or high-pH water provides better hydration and can improve acid-base balance.

According to a 2017 study by the Academy of Physical Education in Poland,

“It can be concluded that the habitual consumption of highly alkaline mineralized water can significantly improve hydration status. Alkaline water with a pH as high as 9.3 can improve resting and exercise acid-base balance and thus improve both, aerobic and anaerobic performance.”

The bottom line here is that, after studying the effects, researchers concluded that alkaline water is more effective than plain water (Regular drinking water) for quickly hydrating athletes.

How Often Can You Drink Alkaline Water?

While there are conflicting reports from researchers about exactly what the health benefits of alkaline water are, almost all of them agree that consuming only alkaline mineralized water is a bad idea.

But exactly how often can or should you consume it?

To answer that question, we must first understand what alkaline water or alkali mineral water does or can do, to your body.

What Does Alkaline Water Do to Your Body?

One of the things that’s important to realize about your body is that a large portion of your health is based on maintaining balanced pH levels.

When it comes to pH levels, a scale from 1-14 is used.

Your body, specifically your lungs, liver, and kidneys, already do a pretty good job of balancing acidity and alkalinity to ensure that your body consistently stays as close to neutral as possible. 

The possibility of medical problems such as blood sugar, and bone loss can come about when your acidity drops into the 1-5 range or your alkalinity rise to the 9-14 range.

While it has not been entirely proven, some experts believe that, in some cases, drinking too much alkaline drinking water with mineral content can cause alkalosis.

What is Alkalosis?

Alkalosis is a medical condition that is caused by having pH levels higher than 7.45 in the body.

While some of the lesser symptoms of excessive alkalinity include nausea and muscle spasms, the more serious symptoms can include dizziness, difficulty breathing, and even going into a coma.

Obviously, alkalosis is something you should be trying to avoid. And, in order to do that, it’s important that you’re not overdoing it when it comes to consuming alkaline mineralized water.

Answering the Question “How Much Alkaline Water Can You Drink?”

The bottom line is that, so long as it’s not the only liquid you drink, alkaline water can be beneficial in a variety of ways and will have little to no negative impact on your body.

If, however, you decide to make it the only liquid in your diet, some experts believe that it can cause serious medical conditions such as alkalosis.

If you’re trying to remain as safe as possible with your amounts, a good rule of thumb is to drink alkaline water for no more than half to two-thirds of your liquid consumption.

In addition, if you’ve never drunk alkaline mineralized water before, it’s recommended that you start slow (1-2 glasses a day) and gradually increase your intake over time.

What are some Alkaline Water Pros and Cons?

While a large portion of the pros and cons of alkaline water or acidic water has already been mentioned, this section can serve as a good way to recap what has been talked about in this article.

From what is known so far, the conclusion can be made that athletes, and individuals that exercise regularly, have the most to gain from consuming alkaline mineralized water.

The Cons of Alkaline Mineralized Water

The possible negative side effects of alkaline water are almost entirely related to the potential of developing alkalosis.

In addition, if alkalosis becomes a long-term problem, it can decrease the calcium in the body and potentially affect your bone health.

In the worst-case scenario, an untreated bout with alkalosis can cause an individual to go into a coma.

Once again, it’s important to note that consuming moderate amounts of alkaline water DOES NOT lead to these negative consequences.

A problem, however, can arise when an individual decides to make alkaline mineralized water the main part of their diet and potentially goes on to develop alkalosis as a result.

At the end of the day, if consumed in moderation, you should not expect any negative side effects or medical problems.

The Final Word

At this point, you should be well-versed in the alkaline water benefits and risks.