Is Alkaline Water Just a Way of Making Expensive Pee?

A recent article in Gizmodo asks the question: “Is Alkaline Water Just a Way of Making Expensive Pee?” In it, author Ryan F.

Mandelbaum opines that “nutrition is a battlefield where everyone has an opinion.” He wonders if you should spend three dollars on an expensive bottle of water, or just drink it from the tap. Mandelbaum goes on to attack research that suggests that alkaline water hydrates better than plain water with some pretty shaky claims such as: “Lots of studies tout the water’s benefits but rarely involve making people drink it. Mandelbaum’s claim is an outright falsehood. There are plenty of studies on alkaline water that involve people drinking it, and several studies that support the claim that alkaline water hydrates better than plain water.

Why does alkaline water hydrate better than plain water?

If you are going to make a scientific claim, you have to be prepared to explain why the thing you’re describing works the way you say it does. Scientists call the reason behind why something works the way it does the causative factor – it’s the cause of the phenomena or action that a scientist observes in experiments.

So the obvious question is: Why does alkaline water hydrate better than plain water? What’s the causative factor that results in a person becoming better hydrated by alkaline water than by plain water? The causative factor in alkaline water hydration lies in the tiny channels called aquaporins that transport water into and out of cells. One of the aquaporin that transports water is called AQP 3, and it is gated (controlled) by water pH. If water outside a cell is acidic, AQP 3 will close, and not allow it to pass. If water outside a cell is alkaline, AQP 3 will open and allow it to pass.

So the causative factor in why alkaline water hydrates better than plain water is: Aquaporin AQP 3 controls the flow of water in cells that have it, and it is controlled by water pH. Water that has an alkaline pH will more readily be allowed to enter a cell, thus hydrating it.

Human studies on alkaline water and hydration

So what about Mandelbaum’s claim that there are only two studies on alkaline water for hydration? He’s wrong, there are at least five, but it is correct in that there should be more research done. Mandelbaum never asks the obvious follow-up question: Why are there a minimum of studies on alkaline water and hydration if the studies that do exist demonstrate that alkaline water may hydrate better than plain water? There are a few reasons why there are so few studies on alkaline water for hydration:

• Alkaline water hasn’t been around for very long
• Studies are expensive and you can’t patent alkaline water
• It’s hard to get research grants to study alkaline water

 

Alkaline water has been around over 50 years: Life Ionizers is one of the two oldest water ionizer companies in America. The Founder of Life Ionizers began distribution in 1996; that’s when water ionizers and alkaline water first appeared on the market. 21 years isn’t a lot of time, and scientific research is a slow process. There are currently over 40 studies on alkaline water that suggest it shows promise as a means to promote general wellness. There are several studies that show that alkaline water hydrates better than plain water, not just two.

Studies are expensive and you can’t patent alkaline water: The clinical studies required to gain FDA approval of a new drug cost billions of dollars and they take decades to complete. The amount of money needed actually exceeds the total revenues of the entire alkaline water ionizer industry. Even if a company did have enough money, you can’t patent alkaline water, so there is no way to make enough money on it to justify extensive clinical trials.

It’s hard to get research grants to study alkaline water: Research grants are awarded by governments and private charities for research that shows promise. The problem with alkaline water is that there are a lot of obviously fake claims made about it. For example, Enagic Kangen representatives claim it is “micro-clustered”. That claim is clearly false, and as such it reflects poorly on alkaline water. Because of all the false claims made about alkaline water, its very difficult to get anyone in the research community to take it seriously, despite the existence of promising research.

Alkaline water can be had for a lot less than $3 a bottle

One thing about alkaline water is for sure: You can have it for a lot less than $3 a bottle. In fact, you can finance a water ionizer for a lot less than you’d pay for a month’s supply  of bottled alkaline water. A water ionizer provides you with an endless supply of alkaline water, at pennies per bottle, which is actually superior to that expensive $3 a bottle alkaline water. Why is alkaline water from a water ionizer superior? Because it has antioxidant potential, bottled alkaline water doesn’t. You can’t bottle antioxidant alkaline water because it doesn’t keep in bottles. The only way to enjoy the full benefit of alkaline water is to make it yourself, with your own water ionizer and drink it fresh. Want to learn more about why is Alkaline Water  Machines Just a Way of Making Expensive Pee?  Click Here

 

See for yourself. Life water ionizers come with a 75 day money back guarantee. Call us at 877-959-7977 for details and money saving specials

 

Reference

 

Zeuthen, Thomas, and Dan Klaerke. “Transport of Water and Glycerol in Aquaporin 3 Is Gated by H .” . The Journal of Biological Chemistry. Web. 5 Jul 2013. <http://www.jbc.org/content/274/31/21631.long>.