The Most Ridiculous Alkaline Water Scam yet: i-H2O Activation

There are some pretty crazy alkaline water scams out there, from the crazy things that Kangen Representatives say, to wild health claims made for alkaline water by desperate salespeople. But a new

alkaline water scam outdoes them all. A company called gia Wellness has come out with an alkaline water pitcher called the “i-H2O Activation System” that claims to make the molecules in water “transform” into a “single file alignment.” I’ve heard some pretty wild claims about water, but this one truly takes the cake! For the record, you can’t make water molecules fall into any sort of alignment: Water molecules don’t microcluster, and they sure don’t organize themselves into single file alignment!

How gia Wellness ripped off Nobel Prize-winning research to create an alkaline water scam

The 2003 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to Peter Agre and Roderick MacKinnon for their discovery of aquaporins: Tiny channels in the wall of the cells in our body that can allow as much as a billion water molecules to pass into or out of a cell per second. Those aquaporin channels are so small that to pass through them, water molecules must do so in single file.

What gia Wellness did to create their alkaline water scam is expand on Agre and MacKinnon’s research without evidence. They are trying to claim that their wonky water device actually arranges water molecules in single file while they are still in your glass. Their claim is false, it’s impossible to arrange water molecules in a single file. They misrepresent Agre and MacKinnon’s research by claiming: “Nobel Prize-winning research from the early 2000s has proven that in order for water to be optimally effective in the body, the water molecules must be aligned in a single file structure.”

That is not what Agre and MacKinnon’s research claims! What they actually said was that water molecules had to pass through the aquaporin channels in single file. Agre and MacKinnon made no reference to how the water molecules are aligned before they enter the aquaporin channel. The reason that they didn’t is simple: Water molecules aren’t in any alignment before they enter the aquaporin channel. Gia Wellness’ claim that their i-H2O Activation system arranges water molecules in a single file is pure nonsense.

The Physics: In liquid form, water molecules are constantly moving around, bouncing off each other and off the sides of the container the water is in. Water molecules don’t form microclusters, or arrange themselves in a straight line.

The real reason alkaline water hydrates better than plain water

Aquaporins are responsible for the majority of water moving into or out of cells. These tiny water channels are gated by pH. If water has an alkaline pH, the aquaporins let it pass through. If the water has an acidic pH, the aquaporin blocks it. Alkaline water enters the body at a pH which is ideal for hydration. Research has shown that alkaline water hydrates better, faster, and more completely than regular water. The pH of alkaline water makes it hydrate better than plain water.

Don’t gamble your health on an alkaline water scam. Call us at 877-959-7977 and get the facts on alkaline water.

References

Heil, P and Seifert, J. Influence of bottled water on rehydration following a dehydrating bout of cycling exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition  Springerlink July 2009. http://www.springerlink.com/content/kn41764j65165u3x/fulltext.pdf

Yoshichika, Kitagawa, Liu Chengwei , and Ding Xiaodong. “The influence of natural mineral water on aquaporin water permeability and human natural killer cell activity.” Science Direct. Science Direct, 27 May 2011. Web. 5 Jul 2013. <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X11007005>.