You may have heard some of the various health claims about alkaline water. Some say it can help slow the aging process, regulate your body’s pH level, and prevent chronic diseases like cancer. But what exactly is alkaline water, and why all the hype?
What is Alkaline Water?
Simply put, anything with a pH greater than 7 is alkaline, anything lower than 7 is acidic. Pure water carries a neutral pH of 7. So alkaline water is water that has a pH greater than 7.
What are the Potential Benefits?
The theory regarding alkaline water is that supports our bodies natural tendency to be slightly alkaline. Certain studies have stated that alkaline water can help acid reflux, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. There is also theories that it may help fight cancer.
While drinking alkaline water is overall safe, many health care providers are not convinced that alkaline water really provides that many health care benefits.
The bottle water industry is always looking for a way to get a leg up on the competition and alkaline water is now a big hot button. Many people’s tap water in Arizona is already alkaline. If you want to know if your water is alkaline, take a sample to your local pool store and have them test the pH. Also you can simply add a little lemon juice to your water and you it will metabolize in the body as an alkaline.
So if you are shopping for bottle water, don’t pay extra for a water bottle because it claims to be more alkaline.