Does stomach acid neutralize alkaline water?

Does stomach acid neutralize alkaline water or does alkaline water raise the pH of the stomach?

If you drink alkaline water on an empty stomach: No. Stomach acid doesn’t neutralize alkaline water because there is very little, if any, stomach acid in an empty stomach.

Drinking water does not trigger stomach acid production. The stomach initially produces gastric acids in response to the sight, smell, and taste of food. Later, during digestion, the stomach continues to produce gastric acids in response to distention – filling of the stomach and the presence of amino acids and peptides that are liberated from the proteins in food by digestion. Water of any kind does not trigger the production of gastric juices. Instead, water passes right through the stomach and into the intestines.

The intestines have an alkaline environment

When you drink it on an empty stomach, water passes directly through the stomach without triggering the release of digestive acids. Water drank on an empty stomach passes through the stomach directly into the intestines.

The intestines are an alkaline environment, they have a pH of about 8.3. When your food is digested, and it moves from the stomach to the intestines, the intestines alkalize it, so it can be absorbed into your body. The same goes for the water you drink: It has to be alkalized before your intestines can absorb it – unless you drink alkaline water. Because alkaline water has an alkaline pH balance, it is already at the right pH to be absorbed by your intestines.

Multiple clinical studies on alkaline water for hydration have shown that the body absorbs alkaline water faster than it absorbs plain water. The most likely reason for this is that alkaline water already has the right pH balance for absorption in the intestines. Plain water needs to be alkalized to a pH of greater than 8, so it has to wait for the intestines to alkalize it before it can be absorbed.

Alkaline water may favor healthy probiotics in the intestines

Research shows that alkaline water may make an important contribution to digestive health: The antioxidant potential of alkaline water made by a water ionizer creates a favorable environment for beneficial probiotic bacteria. The beneficial microbes in the intestines are anaerobes – bacteria that flourish in environments that have negative Oxidation Reduction Potentials (OPR) of between -300 mV and -400 mV. Harmful bacteria thrive in environments with positive ORP values of up to +400 mV. Most water, all bottled waters, and tap water have a positive ORP, so drinking those waters favors the growth of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract

The ionized alkaline water made by a water ionizer has a negative ORP, so by drinking it, you favor the growth of beneficial probiotic bacteria. These beneficial bacteria have very important jobs: They protect you from harmful organisms that cause disease, synthesize nutrients from the foods you eat, and they eliminate and destroy toxins. Doctors want you to include yogurt in your diet so you get more beneficial probiotic bacteria in your digestive system. By drinking alkaline water from a water ionizer, you can help the probiotic bacteria in your intestines flourish.

Beneficial bacteria are constantly fighting to overcome the effects of harmful bacteria in your gut. The oxidation reduction potential (ORP) of the environment in the intestines is a major deciding factor in which side wins. A negative ORP  favors beneficial probiotics; a positive ORP favors harmful bacteria. By simply drinking alkaline water every day, you can help maintain a negative ORP  in the intestines which favors the growth of beneficial probiotic bacteria.

Alkaline Water: Potential for relief from Gastro-intestinal Reflux

Did you know? Stomach acid doesn’t neutralize alkaline water, because alkaline water neutralizes stomach acid – and pepsin – the enzyme that triggers the damage of acid reflux. This was the findings of a lab study that tested alkaline water with a pH of 8.8 against stomach acid and pepsin. Plain water can’t neutralize pepsin, because pepsin is stable at pH values of up to 7.4. But at higher pH values, pepsin denatures: A permanent change which renders pepsin unable to trigger acid reflux. The lab testing showed that alkaline water with a pH of 8.8 does denature pepsin, and it can neutralize (buffer) some stomach acid. As a result, the researchers that conducted the study proposed that drinking alkaline water could be a new way to treat acid reflux

Their findings are supported by earlier clinical research done in Japan. Scientists in Japan found that 88% of people with mild digestive upset – including acid reflux – gained some or complete relief by drinking alkaline water. These findings lead to Japan certifying alkaline water ionizers as medical devices for the treatment of digestive upset.

Alkaline water raises the pH of your urine

You can prove that the stomach doesn’t neutralize alkaline water by testing your urine pH with test strips after drinking alkaline water. It will typically raise the pH of your urine by a pH of one or higher, and that effect will last for up to an hour. Raising the pH of your urine may not seem like a big deal, but it can be if you suffer from metabolic syndrome, the symptoms of which are:

• Low urine pH range: 24 hour average urine pH of less than 6.0

• High blood pressure

• Obesity

• High blood sugar

• Kidney Stones

• High cholesterol levels

 

Please note: Metabolic syndrome is a serious, life-threatening condition. If you think you have metabolic syndrome, Life Ionizers urges you to talk to your doctor.

A pH makes a BIG difference: pH-wise, the difference between having zero symptoms of metabolic syndrome, and having all of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome is just one pH! If your 24 hour average urine pH is a pH of five or less, it’s likely that you suffer from all the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. If your 24 hour average urine pH is six or higher, then it’s likely that you are in good health – you will have no symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

Why does a pH of one make such a big difference? Because the pH scale is logarithmic, this means that each step on the scale is an order of magnitude larger than the previous step. For example an increase of 0.1 pH – just a tenth of a pH – is a 1 times increase in alkalinity. An increase of 1 pH is a 10 times increase in alkalinity. So a person with a 24 hour average urine pH of 6 is ten times more alkaline than a person with a 24 hour average urine pH of 5!

Want to find out what your 24 Hour average urine pH is? How to test your 24 hour average urine pH

How a water ionizer puts you in charge of your pH balance

A water ionizer makes four levels of alkaline water. You use the higher pH (10+) water to fight acidic body conditions, to prepare food with, and for athletic endurance. Use the moderate pH water (8.5 – 9.5) for daily drinking. The first pH level of alkaline water (7.5 – 8) is used by new drinkers to acclimate their bodies to alkaline water. If you’re body is very acidic, raising your pH quickly can result in mild, flu-like symptoms, so it’s best to take it easy at first.

Life water ionizers are fully adjustable, this means you can tailor the pH of your Life Ionizer to your health needs. In fact, it is the adjustability and versatility of Life Ionizers that make them a favorite of health professionals who use alkaline water to treat their patients.

 

Digestive health is just one of the many benefits of alkaline water! Want to know if alkaline water could make a difference in your health? Call our healthy water experts today at: 855 419-2840

 

References

 

Vorobjeva, N.V.. “Selective stimulation of the growth of anaerobic microflora in the human intestinal tract by electrolyzed reducing water.” Medical Hypotheses. Elsevier, 14 Jun 2004. Web. 5 Jul 2013. <http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877(04)00489-X/abstract>.

Koufamn, J.A, and N. Johnston. “Potential Benefits of PH 8.8 Alkaline Drinking Water as an Adjunct in the Treatment of Reflux Disease.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 July 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22844861>.