Yes. Alkaline water has antioxidant benefits. On it’s own it can neutralize Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Those are chemicals that can destroy DNA and cells through the process of oxidation. In fact, alkaline water has been shown to have a protective effect on the liver because it neutralizes hydrogen peroxide. That is an ROS that can destroy liver cells and can be a factor in diseases like cirrhosis of the liver. ROS’s are a normal part of your body’s metabolism. As long as you maintain a healthy balance of ROS and antioxidants, they can be beneficial. Unfortunately, many people have excessive levels of ROS in their bodies which can lead to health problems. Excessive ROS levels can be caused by diets high in fats and sugar, stress, health problems, alcohol, and toxins. Drinking alkaline water can help maintain a healthy ROS/antioxidant balance.
How Reactive Oxygen Species contribute to aging by damaging cells and DNA
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) damage cells and DNA through oxidation. Its the same process that causes metal to rust. Just like metal, your cells and DNA are weakened or destroyed when they are oxidized. Oxidation happens when oxygen combines chemically with another substance. For example, when iron is oxidized, it turns into iron oxide.
The same thing happens to your cells and DNA. ROS’s like hydrogen peroxide chemically attack DNA and cells. That oxidizes them. When you are young, it’s not that big of a deal. Your body is able to repair the damage, or replace the damaged DNA and cells. But as you age, your body’s ability to repair its DNA and cells declines. That’s when ROS’s become a problem. Two organs in your body, the liver and the pancreas, are highly susceptible to damage from ROS. In fact, diabetes is caused by ROS destroying the pancreas cells that produce insulin. People who suffer from diabetes have high levels of ROS in their pancreas.
Free radicals and Reactive Oxygen Species
Free radicals are reactive oxygen species. But not all ROS’s are free radicals. For a substance to be a free radical one or more of the atoms that make up a free radical molecule must have an unpaired electron. Unpaired electrons cause free radicals to be chemically unstable. That instability causes the free radical to grab electrons from other substances so it can to pair up with the unpaired electron. The problem with this is, when the free radical grabs that electron it destroys the thing it grabbed the electron from. One of the most common free radicals in the body is called superoxide.
The body actually generates superoxide as a byproduct of many metabolic functions. Just like ROS, that’s not a problem for a healthy body. Superoxide becomes a problem when the body’s pH balance is chronically low. The more acidic the body’s pH balance is, the more superoxide it generates. This is why many health experts recommend an alkaline diet to raise the body’s pH balance. The idea is to keep superoxide levels balanced.
Antioxidant Superoxide Dismutase – Your body’s defense against superoxide
Superoxide levels are kept in check by an antioxidant enzyme called Superoxide Dismutase (SOD). When superoxide levels get too high SOD breaks down the superoxide into hydrogen peroxide and water. This is where the antioxidant benefit of alkaline water comes in. SOD breaks down the free radical superoxide, and then alkaline water breaks down the hydrogen peroxide that’s left over.
Benefits of alkaline water’s antioxidant “sparing effect”
A study, called The effect of daily consumption of 2 liters of electrolyzed water for 2 months on body composition and several physiological parameters in four obese subjects showed that alkaline water has a “sparing effect” on antioxidant enzyme levels in the body. The benefit to health of this sparing effect is that alkaline water frees up powerful antioxidant enzymes like SOD so they can fight other free radicals in the body. Alkaline water spares antioxidant enzymes by breaking down ROS’s like hydrogen peroxide. That has the effect of sparing antioxidant enzymes like SOD.
The Dynamic Duo that fight aging: Antioxidant enzymes and alkaline water
Think of antioxidant enzymes like SOD and alkaline water as a “dynamic duo”. A pair of superheroes that work together to defeat evil free radicals in the body. The antioxidant enzymes break down free radicals and the alkaline water breaks down the ROS’s that are left over. This one-two punch protects your DNA and cells from free radical and ROS damage. Without alkaline ionized water, your body would need to use up more of it’s antioxidant enzymes to break down the ROS that is left over after free radicals are neutralized.
Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP)
The antioxidant potential of alkaline ionized water is called it’s Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP). The ORP of alkaline water measures it’s ability to prevent oxidation. For alkaline water to have antioxidant potential, it’s ORP must be negative, the higher the negative ORP, the stronger the antioxidant potential of the alkaline water.
Today’s most powerful water ionizers can make alkaline water with a negative ORP of over -800 millivolts (mV). ORP is measured in millivolts because it is an electrostatic charge in the water. A high negative ORP means there is a high negative electrostatic charge in the water. That electrostatic charge comes from excess electrons in the water.
Free radicals and ROS do their damage by grabbing electrons from your tissues and DNA. Alkaline ionized water helps prevent this damage by giving up it’s excess electrons. That spares the antioxidant enzymes in the body to go and fight other free radicals and prevent damage. This is how alkaline water and antioxidant enzymes work together to fight premature aging.
Alkaline water triples the antioxidant effect of vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant. Doctors recommend you get plenty of it to fight free radical damage. Vitamin C is even more effective as an antioxidant when combined with alkaline water. It’s a lot more effective in fact. Laboratory research shows that when you combine alkaline water with Vitamin C, the antioxidant benefit of Vitamin C is tripled.
It’s easy to combine alkaline water with vitamin C. Simply squeeze the juice from citrus fruits like lemons, limes, and oranges into alkaline water, drink, and enjoy! Alkaline water and lemon juice is a great way to start your day. It gives you a healthy dose of antioxidant power. It’s a wonderful and tasty morning eye opener. You can also take vitamin C supplements with alkaline water to get the same effect.
A water ionizer is the best source of antioxidant alkaline ionized water. This is because alkaline water is a drink that is best consumed fresh. The antioxidant potential of alkaline water declines in about 24 hours after you make it unless it’s stored properly. For this reason, the bottled alkaline water you see in stores has no antioxidant potential. To get the most antioxidant potential in your alkaline water you need to get the most powerful water ionizer you can. For example, Life’s MXL-11 can adjust up to 800 watts. It can make alkaline water with an antioxidant ORP of over -800.
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