What is Alkaline Water Good For?

Lots of people know that alkaline water has health benefits. But very few people know that alkaline water has other

uses as well.

What is alkaline water good for?

• Health

• Athletic performance

• Cooking

• Neutralizing pesticide residues

• Coffee and tea

Alkaline water is good for a lot more than just health! In fact for me, the most important benefit of alkaline water is it’s benefit to athletic performance. I train at very high intensity, and I depend on alkaline water to maintain my hydration and combat performance robbing muscular acidosis. Second to that usage, I make my coffee with alkaline water. It improves the taste and increases my coffee’s antioxidant potential!

Alkaline water health benefits

What health conditions is alkaline water good for? There are many health conditions that alkaline water is good for. Alkaline water is good for you the way a healthy diet is good for you. It supplies things your body needs for good health, such as:

• Easy-to-absorb calcium and magnesium

• Improved hydration

• Antioxidant benefits

• Acid-fighting alkalinity

What is alkaline water good for? Bone health.

Alkaline water has been shown in several studies to reduce your rate of bone loss. The older you get, the more alkaline water can help you slow bone loss. As we age, our bodies’ natural defense against acidity begin to decline. What are your bodies’ natural defenses against acidity?

• Breath – You exhale acidity in the form of CO2
• Urine – Your kidneys excrete acidic wastes from your diet
• Bone – As a last resort, your body will take calcium from your bones to neutralize acidity

Out of breath? Your lungs are the most efficient system for ridding your body of acidity. But for breath to work effectively, you must have good stamina. If you run out of breath easily, as many older people do, that limits your body’s ability to expel acidity from your lungs. If you have health conditions that limit your ability to breathe, such as asthma, your lungs can’t keep up with the acidity your body generates. The inability to effectively exhale acidity can lead to bone loss.

Alkaline water will do two things that will help you reduce the rate you are losing bone:

• Supply calcium and magnesium

• Provide acid-fighting alkalinity

Your body will steal calcium and magnesium from your bones to neutralize acidity. Alkaline water can act as it’s supply of calcium and magnesium instead. Both minerals supply acid-fighting alkalinity that reduces bone loss. Studies show that alkaline water lowers two enzyme markers of bone loss that doctors use to determine your rate of bone loss. In short, alkaline water helps you keep the healthy bone you have.

Got an upset stomach? Acid reflux?

Possibly the most important health benefit of alkaline water is it’s benefit to digestive health. Alkaline water can do a lot to improve your digestive health. Here are two of the most important things it does for you:

• Inactivates pepsin, the enzyme that triggers acid reflux

• Supports the growth of beneficial probiotic microbes in your gut

Alkaline water and a sensible diet have been shown to be just as effective as PPI medication for stopping acid reflux. PPI medications have dangerous side effects:

• Allows harmful organisms to flourish in the gut

• Impairs nutrient absorption

• Increases your risk of heart trouble

• Bad for your kidneys

• Increases your risk of dementia

Japanese clinical testing showed that 88% of people in that study found relief from minor chronic digestive upset just by drinking alkaline water alone. Here are the types of digestive upset that alkaline water helped with:

• Chronic diarrhea

• Constipation

• Gas/bloating

• Indigestion

• Acid indigestion

Alkaline water’s effects are gradual. The people in the study reported gaining relief about two weeks after starting alkaline water. The study compared the effect of drinking plain water to alkaline water. Researchers found that drinking plain water had no effect on digestive complaints.

What is alkaline water good for? Detoxification

Mercury and lead contamination is a growing problem. Over 1,000 US cities have water with unsafe levels of lead. People who eat seafood are exposed to harmful levels of mercury. Hexavalent Chromium 6 is found in water supplies nationwide. Thanks to crumbling infrastructure, these problems will only get worse. Thankfully, alkaline water can help. A clinical study on people new to alkaline water showed that they discharged 10 different heavy metals including mercury and lead, after starting alkaline water. Other studies from Sweden showed that the pH of the water you drink has an effect on what your body absorbs. The study examined women who drank well water. One group drank well water that was naturally alkaline, the other group drank water that was naturally acidic:

• Alkaline water drinkers absorbed calcium and magnesium

• Acidic water drinkers absorbed mercury and boron

Those test results were confirmed by other research that compared the effect of pH on calcium absorption. One group drank calcium rich acidic water, the other group drank calcium rich alkaline water. The alkaline water group absorbed calcium from their water. The acidic water group didn’t absorb the calcium, it was discharged in their urine.

Alkaline water is good for weight loss

One of the most popular reasons people drink alkaline water for is weight loss. There are a few different ways that alkaline water helps in the weight loss process:

• Supports beneficial probiotic microbes
• Reduces appetite
• Improves hydration

How alkaline water supports beneficial probiotic microbes

Probiotic microbes are harmed by oxidation in the gut. Antioxidant alkaline water reduces oxidation. That helps probiotic microbes thrive. Reducing oxidation in the gut also suppresses the growth of harmful bacteria that can cause weight gain and some diseases. The harmful bacteria in the gut thrive in oxidative environments.

A pilot study on new alkaline water drinkers found that they lost an average of 12 pounds over two months. The study participants were middle-aged and overweight. During the study the participants ate their same diet, got the same amount of exercise, and the pounds came off.

Appetite reduction

Drinking alkaline water at the right time can help reduce your appetite. Drink an 8 ounce glass of alkaline water about a half an hour before a meal. There are a couple of theories as to why that helps reduce your appetite. First, beneficial probiotic bacteria release a hormone called GLP-1, which reduces your appetite. Second, in older adults the thirst impulse is often misinterpreted as hunger. Drinking alkaline water helps reset that thirst impulse in people who are chronically dehydrated. The CDC estimates that 3 out of 4 Americans are chronically dehydrated.

Why alkaline water is good for athletic performance

Alkaline water provides three key benefits for athletes:

• Improved hydration
• Acid-fighting alkalinity
• Performance boosting antioxidant potential

Athletic performance drops off with as little as 2% dehydration. At that level, the body has a harder time regulating heat, and the metabolism slows down. Both of those responses to dehydration have the effect of reducing athletic performance and can also contribute to depression.

Alkaline water hydrates faster and more thoroughly than plain water. It also provides alkalinity that has been shown in research to raise blood pH in conditions of exercise-induced acidosis. Professional athletes alkalize their bodies prior to working out because alkalinity buffers performance-robbing lactic acid in the muscles. In conditions of exercise-induced acidosis, alkaline water has been shown to raise blood pH by as much as 40  – 70%.

Alkaline water plus electrolytes makes a potent sports beverage

Antioxidant alkaline water combined with a powdered electrolyte (such as Gatorade) has significant benefits for athletes seeking maximum performance. A study conducted in Serbia showed that; compared to plain water mixed with electrolytes, alkaline water mixed with electrolytes:

• Reduces Rates of Perceived Exertion

• Improves Heart Rate response during and after exercise

• Reduces blood lactate levels during and after exercise

• Increases blood bicarbonates

The study compared plain water mixed with Gatorade to alkaline water mixed with Gatorade. Athletes in the study consumed both; plain water with Gatorade, and then after a washout period, alkaline water mixed with Gatorade. The athletes in the study reported that the exercises they performed felt like they required significantly less effort when consuming alkaline water mixed with Gatorade.

Another benefit that was noted in the heart rate of the athletes: Their heart rate was significantly lower when exercising on the alkaline water with electrolytes mix than it was with plain water and electrolytes. That means that the athletes experienced significantly less cardiovascular stress while exercising. The athletes also returned to their normal resting heart rate faster after exercising.

Blood lactate levels were also lower in the alkaline water and electrolytes group than they were in the plain water with electrolytes group. Lactic acid robs you of performance. Professional athletes alkalize their bodies prior to working out to minimize that loss of performance.

The final benefit noted in the study was that the athletes serum bicarbonate levels were higher in the alkaline water group versus the plain water group. That means that the alkaline water group had a greater amount of alkaline minerals in their bloodstream than the plain water group. Those alkaline minerals buffer performance-robbing acidity. That increases an athlete’s’ endurance.

Alkaline water is good for cooking with

Alkaline water improves food’s texture and taste.Use the highest alkaline setting on your water ionizer for best results. Here are some tips on cooking with alkaline water:

• Mix it with citrus juices to make those juices less acidic.
• Soak raw meat in alkaline water to make the meat to tenderize it and keep its flavor
• Use alkaline water when making drinks with enticing aromas. It will enhance their fragrance
• Soak eggs in alkaline water before boiling to make them easier to peel
• Bake with alkaline water for extra fluffiness
• Use alkaline water in omelets and scrambled eggs to make them fluffier

Neutralize acidic pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables

Rinsing your fruits and vegetables in the sink before eating them doesn’t remove pesticide residues. But soaking them in alkaline water will remove and neutralize those residues. You can even see this effect for yourself: Simply soak some fruits or vegetables in a bowl of plain water and a bowl of alkaline water. Wait about 20 minutes, and you’ll see the alkaline water turn muddy brown. The plain water will still be clear.

Alkaline water makes the best coffee and tea

Possibly the best use for alkaline water is making coffee and tea. It makes both beverages more flavorful and aromatic. It also reduces the bitterness of both beverages. Most notable is the fact that alkaline water increases the antioxidant benefits of both coffee and tea!

Coffee has more antioxidants in it than fruit or vegetables. Making coffee with alkaline water triples it’s antioxidant strength. Making it with alkaline water also makes coffee a lot easier on your stomach because it makes it less acidic. The higher the pH of the water you brew your coffee with, the better.

Tea is also an antioxidant, and alkaline water boosts its potency too. Research on brewing tea with alkaline water shows that alkaline water increases the amount of catechins, which are antioxidants in tea. It also reduces the formation of tea cream. Tea cream is deposits that form on the bottom of a tea cup as the tea cools. Tea cream robs tea of its antioxidant potential. Just like with coffee, you want to use the highest pH water you can get.

Why a water ionizer is the best source for alkaline water

As you can see, the answer to the question: “What is alkaline water good for?” Is that alkaline water is good for lots of things. For health purposes, you’ll want to drink at least two liters of it per day. Then you’ll want additional alkaline water for cooking, working out, detoxifying fruits and vegetables, and for your coffee and tea. If you tried to do all those things with bottled alkaline water, it would get expensive quickly! Also, bottled alkaline water won’t work the same for:

• Athletic performance
• Making coffee and tea
• Gut health and some other health issues

Bottled alkaline water won’t work for those things because it doesn’t have any antioxidant potential. The antioxidant potential of the ionized alkaline water made by a water ionizer is responsible for some of its most important benefits. You’ll miss out on those benefits if you drink bottled alkaline water.

 

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References

 

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