5 Reasons Why Alkaline Water Is Effective In Weight Loss

Water is important for every cell and organ in your body and essential for life. The best way to stay hydrated is by drinking eight glasses a day. Studies have proven that if you do not hydrate properly during the day, it will lower your work productivity and cognitive performance and harm the kidney function in your body. (1)

Recently, a new trend emerged and celebrities and artists began drinking alkaline water. How is she different from its regular counterpart, the plain one?

Its proponents have a theory that it can balance your PH, give you more energy and boost your immunity, detoxify your body and even support weight loss.

What Is Alkaline Water?

Water is combined of oxygen and hydrogen.

Plain water has a neutral pH, and it is usually around 7 pH. On the other hand, alkaline water has a higher pH level, increased amount of hydrogen and is less acidic than the plain one.

The acidic environment promotes bacteria growth and we should all strive to change our diet to become more alkaline. Most of the alkaline waters have pH 8 or 9, making them healthier and more beneficial than the plain ones.  

Still, registered nutritionists claim that drinking alkaline water is not as beneficial for our body as it has been promoted on the media and it has become simply a fancy trend.

Alkaline Water Benefits

Its proponents claim that it is curative and medicinal and leads to optimal health. The best alkaline water is the natural one (the one that passed over the rocks and picked up the natural minerals). Alkaline water is also called ionized water as can be prepared by only making use of a faucet that is based on a water ionizer. 

Alkaline water has four ingredients that make her beneficial for your health:

• Magnesium – involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions in your body (2)
• Sodium – charged with blood pressure regulation and nerve function
• Potassium – essential for the functioning of all the cells and muscles and nerves function (3)
• Calcium – it is important for bone and teeth health and regulating heart rhymes and blood clothing

Its proponents state that there are many benefits from drinking alkaline water, but most of them are not scientifically backed up and lacked proven research. Still, there are few studies that proved its benefits for your health, and alkaline water can be productive for:

• Bone resorption – One study showed that “ the alkaline mineral water has a positive effect on bone resorption compared to the acidic mineral water a bicarbonate.”(4) 
• Boost hydration - One study conducted in 2017 reported that it could be beneficial for the hydration status and decrease the specific urine gravity significantly. (5)  
• Reduce High Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, and Cholesterol - Group of Chinese scientists in 2016, found that patients with diabetes, high levels of cholesterol, and high blood pressure had lower levels of all these three health issues after drinking alkaline water from 3 to 6 months. (6) 
• Increase Longevity - One animal study conducted in 2016 researched the benefits of alkaline water in a 3 year period. The results found that mice who drank alkaline water reduced their biological age and they lived longer. (7) 

Alkaline Water May Help You With Heartburn 

Acid reflux is a burning sensation when the acidic stomach content goes up the food pipe and travels to the throat. If it happens for a longer period of time, it is called a disease gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.

One study Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology found that alkaline water reduces the acidity of the stomach content. Its PH level is around 8, 8 and it can stop the activity of the enzyme pepsin that is related to GERD. (8)

Alkaline Water May Help You With Weight Loss

Besides all these health benefits, can alkaline water help you with obesity and promote weight loss? We give you further insight and five benefits of drinking alkaline water for weight loss.

1. Alkaline Water Can Boost Your Metabolism

One study says that drinking water is closely associated with weight loss and boosts your metabolism independent of your diet and physical activity. (9) 

In addition, some studies have already shown that drinking alkaline water is a healthier version than plain one. You can drink 1 to 2 glasses of alkaline water before your meal to promote weight loss and boost metabolism.

2. Alkaline water Can Make you Feel Full And Stop Your Cravings 

If you follow a strict diet, you fall very often into temptation and sometimes you can be actually thirsty, but not hungry. However, if you hydrate yourself, you will immediately feel full, and you won’t intake any additional calories. 

3. Alkaline water Can Hydrate You Faster 

When you are on a diet and do physical activity, staying hydrated is crucial and may even promote weight loss. 

One study from 2018, found that alkaline water enhances anaerobic exercise performance in sport and athletes in combat sports. (10) 

This occurs because alkaline water is rich in minerals and electrolytes. Choose the natural one if you want to drink alkaline water richer in these substances. The artificial alkaline water is not as rich as natural as it goes through an ionization process. 

4. Alkaline water Improves Your Muscle Function 

When you are dehydrated, you often have tight and sore joints and proper hydration reduces the inflammation and pain. 

If you drink alkaline water before, during, and after the workout, it can increase its benefits and promote weight loss and performance. 

5. Alkaline Water Balance Your body PH Levels

The most important benefit when speaking about weight loss and alkaline water is rebalancing your PH levels. Body fat is acidic and contributes to the acidity of your body and if you drink alkaline water regularly, you can restore the ideal PH level, which helps in burning the fat through a series of neutralization reactions.

Alkaline Water Is Good For Pregnant Women

Alkaline water is safe for pregnant women and there is no scientifically proven that it can be dangerous for use. On the contrary, alkaline water is beneficial for consummation during pregnancy and after the pregnancy period as:

1. It boosts their energy.

Some pregnant mothers may feel fatigued and exhausted. The minerals in the alkaline water boost their energy and give them the needed nourishments. 

2. It eases the morning sickness and nausea in pregnant mothers and keeps them sufficiently hydrated. 

3. It helps with heartburn and bad indigestion as it neutralizes the harsh stomach acid.

4. Relieves the constipation symptoms – constipation is a very common problem in pregnant women due to the increase of the hormone progesterone. The alkaline water breaks the water into smaller molecules and makes the water absorption easier, thus helping the constipation problems. You can drink at least six glasses of alkaline water and increase your fibre intake to reduce these symptoms. 

5. It strengthens the immune system as it is great to support the balance of our body and it is rich in supplements. 

6. It easies the leg cramps During pregnancy, leg cramps are a common problem due to electrolyte imbalance. The alkaline water balances the electrolyte levels and it is an excellent beverage for mothers to be. (11)

7. It reduces the risk of high pressure as this condition is caused by over-acidity. It balances the acidity level in the body and neutralizes the toxins. 

8. Restores the PH balance in the mother’s body and helps the blood remove the acidic waste and helps combats the acids that build in the body during the pregnancy. 

There was a 15-year study in Japan conducted by renowned Japanese doctors that found that drinking alkaline water during pregnancy can be very beneficial for pregnant women. They had smother delivery, increased lactation, had no vomiting issues, and reduced jaundice cases in babies. 

Alkaline Water Is Good For Hypothyroidism

When the thyroid is not producing enough hormones in the body to function normally, the condition is called hypothyroidism. People who suffer from this condition experience insomnia, lack of energy, have concentration problems, and low metabolism. 

It is advisable for them to drink alkaline water to alleviate many thyroid problems. It can: 

• It improves their metabolism, speeds it up, and aids the digestive process so they can easily lose weight, which is a common problem for hypothyroidism. 
• It is a great detoxifier and it helps the liver, the kidney, and the digestive system to get rid of the toxins. 
• Aids digestion and alleviates constipation, but you need to drink a lot of water during the day if you have constipation problems. 
• If they have issues with dry skin and thin hair, alkaline water offers good hydration for their body and keeps their hair smooth and shiny, glows their skin, and prevents their fingernails from breaking. 
• It can help them to maintain a fluid balance. If they do not have enough fluids in their body, hey will have problems with circulation, maintaining the body temperature, forming saliva, and absorbing the needed nutrients. 

Negative Side Effects 

It is considered safe, but there are a few adverse effects to consider. 

• It can lower the natural stomach acidity that protects the harmful pathogens to enter your bloodstream
• It may cause some gastrointestinal issues and skin irritations
• It may disrupt the body’s normal PH levels and lead to a condition called metabolic alkalosis, and you feel nausea, vomiting, confusion, hand tremors and muscle twitching  
• It may decrease the calcium level in your body and harm the bone health

Can You Drink Alkaline Water Daily? 

You can buy alkaline water in groceries and online. You can buy an ionizer and make it at home. You can add a pinch of baking soda in plain water and make it more alkaline. 

If it is properly filtered, ionized, and mineralized, you can drink it on daily bases without limitations. 

Is Alkaline Water Safe?

There is not any scientific proof that it can treat any health condition. Many nutritionists and medical experts claim that it is just a marketing trend. 

It is always better to drink naturally alkaline water since it contains natural minerals. 

However, you should drink it with caution if you drink the artificial one, which may contain fewer minerals and sometimes even contaminants. In addition, it may have the opposite effect and may cause mineral deficiency. 

Conclusion:

• Plain water has a neutral PH, and it is usually around 7 PH. On the other hand, alkaline water has a higher PH level and increased amount of hydrogen and is less acidic than the plain one.
• Its proponents claim that it is curative and medicinal and leads to optimal health.
• There are few studies that proved its benefits for your health, and alkaline water can be productive for some health issues. 
• If you drink the natural alkaline one you can drink without limitations and it may be beneficial as it contains many natural minerals. But if you drink the artificial one, you should drink it with caution as it may have the opposite effect and may cause a mineral deficiency in taken in high doses.