Alkaline water better than plain water? A critical review

PE2. ALKALINE WATER BETTER THAN PLAIN WATER? A CRITICAL REVIEW Emanuele MORGANTI,1 Luca BOLELLI,1 Giuseppe NOVELLI,2 Chris FREEMAN,2 Stefano GIROTTI1 1Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology FaBiT, Via San Donato 15, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Bologna,40127, Italy 2CULLIGAN ITALIANA SPA, Cadriano di Granarolo Emilia, Bologna, 40057, Italy Water is the basic element of living beings. No other substance is more important for human body than water. In fact, in the reference man, 60% of body weight (BW) (about 45 L) is represented by total body water (TBW) [1]. Some people believe that alkaline water can help to drain toxins more efficiently than regular tap water, leading to better health and fitness. Alkaline water has a higher pH level than plain water. Proponents say that it can neutralize acid in bloodstream, boost the metabolism and help the body to absorb nutrients more effectively. Some even say that alkaline water can help prevent diseases and slow the aging process. An investigation in the scientific literature has been done to verify these claims. The main consideration that could be done is that the alkalinity in ionized water is due to the sodium hydroxide formed during electrolysis if salt is the electrolyte in the water. Most alkaline water representatives do not like to admit this, but when the sodium hydroxide enters the stomach, it is immediately neutralized by the strong stomach acidity back into water and salt ions. There is no reason to expect that the water formed when the alkaline hydroxide ion is neutralized will retain any special characteristics (even if it had some in the beginning) or that dissolved salt, which results from the neutralization process, will have any special properties when it is absorbed. The alkalinity level of the incoming water relative to the acidity of the stomach acid and to the pH the body's well-buffered blood is negligible. This means that there would be almost no resulting effect on pH of the body. The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) does not authorize any health assertion about alkaline water because is not based on solid scientific data [2]. In conclusion, at this moment, there is no credible evidence in standard medical or scientific literature to support claims that alkaline water has any greater health effects or health benefits than drinking regular water. [1] L. Petraccia et al., Clinical Nutrition 25 (2006) 377–385. [2] EU Register on nutrition and health claims: http://ec.europa.eu/nuhclaims