10 Health Benefits of Alkaline Water, How to Make Alkaline Water, Safety and Possible Side Effects
There are three types of water i.e., plain water, acidic water, and alkaline water. The pH level of the water determines its type. The pH of plain water is 7. This is the called neutral pH. Alkaline water is the one that has a higher level of pH as compared to normal water. On the contrary, acidic water has a lower pH value than the pH of normal water.
Health experts believe that alkaline water does so much good for the body. In this article, we will tell you what makes alkaline water beneficial for your health, ways to prepare it and, its possible side effects.
Examples of acidic and alkaline substances
Some of the examples of acidic substances with pH value lower than 7.0 are vinegar (pH 3), lemon juice (pH 2), and battery acid (pH 1). Some examples of alkaline substances that have greater than pH 7 are baking soda (pH 8.5), and milk of magnesia (pH 10.5).
Benefits of drinking alkaline water
As per the studies performed on alkaline water in the year 2012, it has been found that an alkaline diet leads to more alkaline urine. This reduces the content of calcium in it. Alkaline water and diets counteract acidity, and aids in the regulation of pH of the body. In this way, it assists in the prevention of disease processes.
Let us see what type of benefits you can get from drinking alkaline on a regular basis.
Cures acid reflux
Alkaline water helps in reducing the symptoms of acid reflux disease. The cause for this disease is when the acidic contents present in the stomach making its way in the food pipe.When acid reflux happens for a longer period of time, it results in damage. It can even cause a disease called gastroesophageal reflux disease.
When you drink alkaline water at level pH 8.8, then it stops an important enzyme that is linked to acid reflux disease.This action lowers the acidic nature of the contents of the stomach, thereby reducing the acid reflux disease.
Diabetes and blood pressure
Drinking alkaline water for a period of three to six months can bring down the symptoms related to health issues such as high blood sugar, high blood lipids, and high blood pressure. It is also seen that alkaline water consumption lowers the risk of diabetes in the body.
A high-pH based electrolyte water helps a lot in lowering blood viscosity that reducesthe possibility of strain on the cardiovascular system due to dehydration.
Increased blood and oxygen circulation
Viscosity is measured as the ease with which the blood passes through the vessels.
Drinking alkaline water has significant benefits in the blood viscosity. This is seen especially after a rigorous workout.
People who consumed alkaline water measured low viscosity by around 6.3 percent than 3.36 percent when drinking normal purified water. This implies an efficient flow of blood with alkaline water. Also, it leads to an increase in the delivery of oxygen throughout the body.
Contains Antioxidants
Alkaline water contains alkaline minerals in it. It has got a negative ORP or oxidation-reduction potential. This is the potential of water to work as an antioxidant. The negative the value of ORP, the more antioxidizing nature it will have.
Free radicals resulting from smoking, pollution, and a few toxic sources get neutralized by way of antioxidants. This water makes it abeneficial way to obtain antioxidants in the body.
Detoxifies body
Acidic wastes that get deposited in our body proves to be harmful toxins. They are the reasons for the development of diseases in the body. It becomes very important to prevent these toxins from getting build-up in the body. Alkaline water assists in flushing these toxins completely out of the body. This ease cleansing of your entire body system.
Hydrates your body
Alkaline water gets absorbed very quickly in the body. This helps in increasing the water consumption in the body to keep it sufficiently hydrated. Alkaline water contains an ionized form of vital minerals that aids in proper blood circulation.
Maintains proper pH Level
By drinking alkaline water, you can easily get rid of unwanted secretion of bile or stomach acid that irritates the body and leads to chest burns. To neutralize the excess of acidic content in the body, alkaline water provides a fast boost to your overall body’s pH level.
Aids in the management of body weight
Addition of alkaline water in your daily routine is also helpful in reducing unwanted body weight. So, people who are obese should definitely get benefitted by drinking alkaline water.
Ways to prepare Alkaline Water at Home
You can easily get alkaline or high-pH water at any local or online health food or grocery stores. This water is filtered, ionized and then re-mineralized to ensure that your body gets more minerals daily. Various machines like water ionizers and re-mineralizers are available on the store that will help you make your water alkaline.
If you can’t spend money to buy these machines, then there is a cost-effective way to easily prepare alkaline water at your home. To do this, you only need two commonly found ingredients in almost every kitchen. These ingredients are lemon and sea salt.
Though lemon is considered to be acidic in nature, it contains minerals that can modify the overall water composition when mixed with water. You can even use baking soda in place of lemon to prepare alkaline water. We are showing you an easy DIY recipe to prepare your own alkaline water.
Ingredients needed:
- 1 liter offiltered water
- 1 lemon
- 1 1/8 tbsp of sea salt
Steps of preparation:
- Take a clean pitcher. Fill it with filtered water.
- Now take a lemon, and cut it into 2 halves. Squeeze half of it in a pitcher. Cut the remaining half into thin slices. Put those slices in the water.
- Finally, add sea salt to the mix. Stir well. Leave itfor 8 to 9 hrs.
- And you are ready to sip your freshly prepared alkaline water.
Side effects of consuming alkaline water
Water can be low or high in pH, that makes it acidic or alkaline respectively. If it is very high or very low, then it can pose adverse effects on the health of a person. Too alkaline water tastes bitter. It can lead to deposits that can cover pipes too.
Excess of anything is bad. This goes for too alkaline water also. To prevent any health risks, it is required to maintain a balanced level of pH in the body. If we begin to consume an excess of alkaline water, then it will make our system more alkaline. This will pose a hindrance in the biochemical procedures in the body.
Vitamins B12 require the acid secreted in the stomach to absorb it. Due to the body’s alkaline nature, it will neutralize these stomach acids. Thiswill result in improper absorption of vitamins and loss of important vitamins in the body.
Digestion and metabolism can even get impacted due to a diluted form of stomach acids. Highly excessive alkaline state of the body leads to a condition known as “metabolic alkalosis”. Alkalosis can result in the reduction of free calcium content in the body, that can adversely impact the bone health of a person.
In addition to it, an increase in the alkalinity in your body system can even lead to the occurrence of skin irritations and gastrointestinal issues. A lot of alkalinities can even agitate the normal pH of the body that leads to the development of the following symptoms:
- nausea
- hand tremors
- vomiting
- muscle twitching
- A tingling sensation experienced in the face
- confusion
Consumption of alkaline water in permissible amounts will definitely benefit your body in the above-mentioned ways. The preparation of alkaline water is so easy and affordable. So, let’s try out this method to hydrate, nourish and neutralize your body and keep it disease free for a longer time.
