Is alkaline water better for you than regular water? What is alkaline water? And what is regular water? Is there actually a difference between the two?
The results online are mixed, some say alkaline water is a miracle cure, while others claim it has no additional benefits to tap water.
Is Alkaline Water Better for You?
Today we’re going to look into alkaline water and regular water, and what the differences are. This will help us answer the question, is alkaline water better for you than regular water.
Alkaline water and Regular water
So what are the characteristics of each type of water?
Alkaline water
This water contains a pH level of higher than 7 on the pH scale. Being higher than 7 means it is alkaline in nature and fits into the alkaline definition. Though there are healthy ways to achieve alkaline water, and unhealthy ways.
It can be created in a number of ways, ranging from natural mountainous streams, to chemically altered and even created with modern technology.
We have a full breakdown of How to alkalize your water here. But to sum it up quickly you can create alkaline water through:
- Adding chemicals (not recommended)
- Using fruit such as lemons or oranges
- Adding baking soda to increase pH levels, and
- Using an alkaline water pitcher or ionizer
Regular water
Our definition of regular water is the water that comes straight from your faucet or tap. Depending on your local water supply, it may have chemicals added.
You would need to check where your water is sourced from, and see if any water regulatory body is treating the water in any way.
If you live in the inner city, there is a good chance your tap water is sourced from a treated water supply. Common chemicals added can include chlorine or fluoride. This is generally done to improve the quality of the water by eliminating harmful bacteria.
Unfortunately, these chemicals stay in the water when they come out of the faucet, meaning you can end up consuming them.
While some chemicals added aren’t harmful to humans, some can be.
So is alkaline water better for you than regular water?
Put simply, alkaline water is better for you. Results on the internet are mixed, with most of the benefits being anecdotal evidence. However, there are studies beginning to show the potential benefits available.
Some studies like this one show that drinking alkaline water over a long period had a positive effect on mice. It leads to slowing down the aging process, increasing the lifespan of the mice.
Another study showed that drinking alkaline water with a pH of at least 8.8 helps to deactivate Pepsin in the stomach. This is great news for acid reflux sufferers as alkaline water is proven to reduce the regularity and severity of these incidents occurring.
Depending on how your alkaline water is created, it is certainly healthier than regular water.
A mountainous stream is the healthiest option, as it is natural and full of minerals. However, most of us don’t have access to water like this.
Adding fruit to regular water will help to neutralize/alkalize the water, as well as leaching minerals into the water. Not to mention the added flavor is a bonus.
Alkaline pitchers and ionizers will filter out impurities and add back in vital minerals in their filtration process. There are mixed views online with these units.
Whether they alkalize or not is less relevant with these units, it is the filtration process that keeps impurities out which is important. The alkalization process is just an added bonus.
Are there general benefits of drinking alkaline water?
There sure are. This water has a wide range of benefits that you can experience. You can check the details of the benefits of alkaline water here. But to sum them up, you may experience:
- Increase in bone health
- Reduced inflammation within the body
- Reduction in the severity of acid reflux
- More balance with your blood sugar and blood lipid levels
- Increased post-workout recovery
If you create your alkaline water using an alkalizing pitcher or ionizer, you will also drink cleaner water. As mentioned earlier, these units have a filter or filter system which helps trap impurities, harmful chemicals, and heavy metals.
While removing these contaminants, most filter systems will also add back in healthy minerals such as magnesium or potassium. Without including the alkalizing component, you still receive the benefit of clean, contaminant-free water.
