Effects of Alkaline Water on Digestive Health

The Gastrointestinal tract encompasses all of the organs involved with eating and waste elimination. This

includes everything from your stomach to your colon. Parts of your digestive tract are pH sensitive, and that’s why alkaline water has an effect on your digestive health. For example: food triggers the GI tract to release hormones, which then trigger the release of the proper enzymes for digestion. The pH of the food you eat is one factor used to trigger some of those hormones. It’s important to keep in mind that pH alone doesn’t trigger the release of digestive enzymes. Because of this, alkaline water doesn’t trigger the release of stomach acid. On an empty stomach, alkaline water passes right through to the intestines, it doesn’t get acidified by your stomach.

When you eat, PH is a key factor in your stomach knowing which hormones to activate.

The Gastrointestinal tract needs enzymes to work properly, without the right enzymes, digestion would be sluggish. Sluggish digestion can cause health problems to arise [such as acid reflux, ulcers, gas, etc.]. The stomach and intestines are both pH sensitive, when their pH balance is healthy, when you eat, each organ triggers the release of enzymes that either help digest and absorb nutrients from your food. However, if your pH balance is off, the wrong enzymes may be triggered, resulting in poor digestion and absorption of nutrients..

The Stomach

The stomach is the only organ in the entire digestive system that requires an acidic pH level to do its job. It produces hydrochloric acid for digestion on demand as food arrives. There is little to no acid in the stomach when it is empty. When digestion is stimulated by food arriving in the stomach, gastric acid is produced on demand to handle the load.

What acid does in the stomach:

• Organisms in the food are killed by the low pH acid of the stomach juices. This makes it part of the body’s immune system.
• The acid itself is only part of what breaks down the food.  The low pH environment created by stomach acid is conducive to the enzymes needed to break down proteins.

Effects of Alkaline Water on the Stomach

Alkaline water has an important potential for people who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). It inactivates pepsin, the enzyme that triggers the damage of GERD. Drinking alkaline water may help stop not only the pain, but also the damage, from GERD. It is important to note that Japanese studies have shown that the relief granted by alkaline water comes gradually, so it’s best not to go “cold turkey” on your GERD meds. Talk to your doctor, and follow their advice to the letter. Most likely, your doctor will tell you to monitor yourself, and report any changes.  Your doctor will tell you if you should taper off your meds as symptoms subside.

Does Alkaline Ionized water interfere with digestive acids in the stomach?

No. stomach acid is a strong acid, and unless you’re actively eating, there isn’t much of it [or much need for it] in the stomach. However, it is recommended that you not drink alkaline water with meals because alkaline water inactivates pepsin, and you need pepsin in your stomach while eating to trigger production of digestive acids.

Duodenum: Gateway to the intestines

The duodenum is the top portion of the small intestine, just below the stomach, and it is significant in the digestion process. The duodenum injects bicarbonate and other buffering “juices” in order to raise the pH to a level of 8.8, which is very alkaline. The duodenum likes this high alkaline pH, because it is more suitable for digesting fats, which come into the duodenum undigested.

Note: the best time to take your fat-soluble vitamins [A, D, E, Omega 3 fatty acids, etc.] is with a meal containing fat.

The small intestine

Maintaining an alkaline balance in the intestines can make a great contribution to a person’s colon health as well as their overall health and wellbeing. The small intestine absorbs a significant amount of the nutrients from the food you eat. The small intestine has an alkaline pH of about 8.5.

As your food passes through the intestines, more enzymes are added and more nutrients are absorbed until, by the time the digested food reaches the large intestine, 95% of the nutrients should have been absorbed. The nutrients go into the blood, then straight to the liver for filtering before entering the regular circulatory system.

Effects of alkaline water on the small intestine

Ionized water is very beneficial in the small intestine for many reasons. There is a war going on inside your intestines. Beneficial probiotic bacteria are battling harmful bacteria for nutrients. If the probiotic bacteria win, they contribute to the absorption of beneficial nutrients. If the harmful bacteria win, they can fill your digestive tract with toxins.

The probiotic bacteria are known as anaerobes, which means they hate oxygen. The harmful bacterias are aerobes, they thrive in oxygen-rich environments. Alkaline water is rich in hydrogen, so in the intestines, it deprives the harmful aerobes of oxygen, and protects the beneficial probiotic bacterias from oxygen. In short, drinking alkaline water “tips the scales” in favor of the beneficial probiotic bacteria.

Other effects of alkaline water on the small intestine

• It assists the small intestines to maintain a healthy 8.5 pH so as to inhibit the growth of parasites, funguses, and other undesirable microorganisms. Parasites going unchecked are often a large contributor to malnourishment and weight-management problems.
• Proper pH stimulates proper enzymes to digest whatever food hasn’t been broken down thoroughly enough by now.

Ionized water, being absorbed at this point in the GI tract, is healthy for you in many ways.

The anti-oxidants will go to the liver and help to detoxify and anti-oxidize it [then will go to the rest of the cells in the body to do the same]. Alkaline water is easier for the body to absorb, so it keeps the body hydrated better. This improvement in hydration means there’s less demand on the large intestine for water. That makes it easier for the body to expel wastes.

The Large Intestine

The large intestine’s main job is the absorption of water into the body, production of B and K vitamins, absorption of a few more nutrients, and then eliminating the waste. If you become dehydrated, the large intestine is the first organ to lose water, which is why dehydration is a major factor in constipation.

Just like in the small intestine, alkaline water in the large intestine helps to inhibit the growth of bad-bacteria and maintain the proper balance of good probiotic bacteria. Insufficient water or oil in the diet or insufficient probiotic bacteria can make it hard to discharge wastes from the large intestine. If wastes aren’t properly eliminated, the body reabsorbs the toxins in the large intestine. Alkaline ionized water is very helpful for keeping the intestines well lubricated so wastes are eliminated easier.

The Colon

A well-lubricated colon is a slippery place! Two things must be present in your digestive system for your colon to be lubricated properly: First, you must be well-hydrated, and secondly, you need to have abundant probiotic bacteria in your digestive tract. Alkaline water supplies superior hydration, and it supports healthy  probiotic bacteria. In Japanese clinical research, over 80% of patients with constipation found gradual relief from their symptoms from drinking alkaline water.

Protection from chlorination

A third benefit to drinking alkaline water from a water ionizer is that the machine’s filters remove chlorine from the water you’re drinking. If you drink chlorinated water, your risk of developing potentially life-threatening colon diseases doubles. Chlorine in your water is also harmful to the probiotic bacteria in your gut. Remember, chlorine is added to water to kill bacteria, so you definitely want to remove it from your drinking water before you drink it!.

Study: 88% of patients found relief of digestive upset by drinking alkaline water

The effects of alkaline water on digestive health have been studied more extensively in Japan than anywhere else on Earth. In clinical trials, 88% of patients who reported having common digestive health issues like constipation, acid indigestion, and other problems reported gaining partial or full relief of their symptoms in about two weeks after starting to drink alkaline water.

Could alkaline water help you? Everyone’s body is different, but one thing is for sure. Alkaline water is supportive of general wellness. Your body is it’s own best doctor if you give it the things it needs for good health. Alkaline water and a healthy diet may be just the thing your body needs for better digestive health.

Find out how alkaline water could help you. Call us at 858 790 8121 for a free, no obligation alkaline health consultation

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