What happens to Alkaline Water in Your Stomach?

When drunk on an empty stomach, alkaline water will pass right through the stomach and into the intestines. Clinical testing of alkaline water  shows that drinking alkaline water increases the pH of the stomach by .5 – 1 pH. Testing shows that the stomach pH remains elevated for about a half hour, which suggests that the stomach does not secrete acid to neutralize alkaline water.

Alkaline water does not need to be digested

The stomach produces stomach acid when you smell or taste food, but not when you drink water. Alkaline water does not trigger the production of stomach acid because water doesn’t need to be digested. There is some acid always in your stomach, however. Throughout the day, the stomach produces a small amount of stomach acid. When you drink alkaline water on an empty stomach, the tiny amount of acid in the stomach is washed out of the stomach and into the intestines.

While the stomach has to be acidic to digest food, the intestines have to be alkaline to absorb it. Digested food is alkalized when it enters the intestines. The intestines work best at a pH of approximately 8.3. This is why health experts recommend drinking alkaline water with a pH of 9.5 daily. Since there is very little acid in the stomach to neutralize it, alkaline water arrives in the intestines at the perfect pH for your body to absorb it.

Alkaline water and the Tums effect

Further proof of alkaline water’s acid neutralizing ability is its ability to provide gradual relief of mild stomach upset. Clinical tests conducted in Japan showed that 88% of digestive upset sufferers reported partial or full relief of their symptoms – over a course of two weeks – by drinking alkaline water.

Alkaline water’s Tum’s Effect is gradual, note that relief of symptoms occurred over a period of two weeks. This means that alkaline water is a good choice for promoting long-term digestive health, but it’s not medicine! People suffering from an upset stomach who want immediate relief should consider an antacid or other medication.

Alkaline water and body pH

Drinking alkaline water will raise the pH of your urine. This is perhaps the strongest proof that alkaline water is not completely neutralized by stomach acid, as some critics claim. For the pH of the urine to rise, something has to provide alkalinity. You can actually test this yourself, with pH strips. You will typically see your urine pH increase by a pH of 1 or more after drinking alkaline water

Click here for information on how to test your urine pH

Alkaline water does more than just quench your thirst; it also provides your body with essential nutrients. Alkaline water gets its alkalinity from calcium and magnesium, and it just might be the best source of these two nutrients. Studies show that calcium and magnesium are absorbed 30% faster and easier from water than they are from food. Improving your daily intake of calcium and magnesium can improve your health a lot. Every metabolic process in the body depends on calcium and magnesium to function correctly. Improving your intake of calcium and magnesium could result in reduced blood pressure, better heart health, and may help reduce body weight as well.

Want to find out if alkaline water could help improve your health? Contact our healthy water experts today at 877-959-7977 we’re here to help!