Humans need water to survive. Let’s be straight, it is one of the physiological essentials we need to survive within Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and all of the earth’s living organisms rely on water in our respiration process as water is what provides us cellular energy and helps remove waste from our body. As a standard, humans require about eight glasses of drinking water (it comes up to around 2 litres of water) to help our body function at peak performance.
Since our body is made up of about 60% of water, our body actually suffers when there is a loss of fluid in our body. This primarily happens to our brain and it has been reported in a scientific study that when the body suffers from a fluid loss, our concentration levels and mood take a hit, while the likelihood of having a headache increases as well. Especially in our summer-long weather, dehydration is more likely to happen to us and if you are one who enjoys physical exercise like jogging or playing tennis, you can expect your performance and endurance to take a nosedive as well. Now that we got you paying attention to water, we have to break it to you that there is a supposedly better form of aqua out there that beats the regular H2O that drip from our faucet out of the water. Presenting to you: alkaline water.
What Is Alkaline Water?
Alkaline water is what is known as aqua that has a pH value of over seven and, thus, has a lower level of hydrogen ions. In general, most of the water that we usually sip on have a neutral pH value of seven and anything below that is acidic.
But how do we obtain alkaline water then? One thing’s for sure… the water that we get bottled from the stores wouldn’t be alkaline water unless they are explicitly labelled as such. The ones that are noted as such come from springs and artesian wells and are alkalic due to the dissolved minerals in them. For those who are looking for a regular source of alkaline water in the home, you will be pleased to know that there are water ionising machines for purchase that can turn your tap water alkalic.
How Is Alkaline Water Better Than Tap Water?
The belief is that alkaline water can help neutralise the acidity within our body. This is from the belief that the food we consume like meats, wheat and processed food actually cause our body to overgenerate acid that may lead to health issues like osteoporosis and other chronic conditions. The consumption of alkaline water will then reverse the effects, resulting in a less acidic and a better cancer-free environment within the body, fewer health problems and a stronger body. Alkaline water is also believed to hydrate the body better as the water molecules within them are much tinier and can be absorbed by our cells faster for our body to rehydrate better, especially after a workout or run.
But science seems to refute these claims with doctors and nutrition experts believing otherwise. What doctors have been arguing is that despite our diet consisting of foods that have a higher acid content, alkalic water does not actually impact and alter our body and blood’s pH levels since any alkalic water would have been neutralised in the stomach by the hydrochloric acid before it is absorbed in the blood. With these alkalic water, our urine’s pH level may change but it still does not bring about much of an effect in our body.
What Can We Do?
For those looking to drastically improve on their health, food nutritionists believe that nothing beats making healthy changes to your diet. Certainly, drinking more water…yes, even alkaline water helps, since your hydration improves when you sip more. When you get more than your recommended amount of water each day, your skin gets hydrated as well and this can lead to a reduction in flare ups. Not to mention, you can experience weight-loss as well. A study found out that those who drank a bottle of water before their meals were more likely to lose weight from the fewer calories being consumed at mealtimes. Another tip that you can take home is to drink cold water since your body will need to burn more calories to restore the temperature losses caused by the cold water.
H2O aside, what all of us can benefit from is by changing our diet for the better. How we can do that, firstly, is to start paying more attention to what we consume. Speaking as a whole, most of us tend to opt for processed foods which may be convenient but are much higher in their sodium, sugar and fat content. By opting for convenience, it can easily result in our diet going awry. Since our health is the result of varying factors including our diet and exercise, we may start to feel our health taking a dip. Believe it or not, while alkaline water does have its benefits, however, if you are looking for an elixir of youth, you may have to look elsewhere.