What is alkaline water? Is it beneficial for health?

Alkaline water is being chosen by many people because it is believed that this is good water for the body, even helping to prevent dangerous diseases. So what is alkaline drinking water and is it healthy?

Alkaline water (or alkaline water) is determined based on the pH of the water. The pH index measures the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution and assesses whether it is acidic or alkaline. A solution is acidic if there is a high concentration of hydrogen ions. A solution is alkaline (basic) in the presence of a low concentration of hydrogen ions. Accordingly, if the pH is > 7, the solution is alkaline. The higher the pH value 7, the stronger the alkalinity. Conversely, a pH < 7 means the solution is acidic. If pH = 7 is considered neutral water. The pH of purified water filtered through RO technology ranges from 6.5 - 7.
Alkaline water is treated with an ion generator, which increases the pH through electrolysis. Water purifier manufacturers have created alkaline water by using equipment that has an electrolysis process to separate the acidic and alkaline components from the incoming water. The device then removes some water molecules or adds electrons to control the pH of the water as desired.

2.1 Benefits According to the advertising of water purifier manufacturers, alkaline water helps to slow down the aging process, protect the intestinal tract, increase resistance, stabilize blood pressure and lose weight. Some brands even claim alkaline water boosts the immune system, better hydrates, has detoxifying and cancer-preventing properties. These advertising information leads many users to believe that drinking alkaline ionized water helps protect health. However, there are not really in-depth and universal studies on the use of this type of water.
According to experts, bottled alkaline ionized water has a positive effect on the body but is not a medicine. Therefore, this type of water cannot cure diseases, but only helps prevent and aid in the treatment of certain health conditions.
According to PGS.TS.BS Nguyen Thi Lam - Former Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, alkaline ionized water is created based on the view that each person needs to drink healthy alkaline water to maintain a blood pH of 7.4. This type of water also contains an important component of electrolytes, which is good for the body. In addition, according to the research results of the Japan Alkaline Ion Association, maintaining daily drinking of alkaline ionized water with a pH of 9.5 can improve symptoms such as chronic diarrhea, constipation, excess stomach acid. ,...
According to the Director of the Japan Water Institute - Dr. Hayashi Hidemitsu, alkaline drinking water has the ability to help improve lung disease, gout, diabetes, hypertension and many other diseases caused by the aging process. and oxidation in the body caused. Research by professors from Kyushu University - Japan shows that hydrogen in alkaline water acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect the body.

2.2 Risks There is still a lack of research to confirm the benefits of alkaline water or its use as a treatment for health problems. New studies have only been done on about 100 people or experiments on mice, so it is not possible to confirm universal application.
Besides, the quality of the alkaline water generator depends a lot on the quality of the supply water. If using tap water for an alkaline generator, it cannot filter out contaminants such as lead, mercury, pesticides, etc. Thus, alkaline water has only the only standard of alkalinity, still has may contain substances harmful to the body.
Drinking alkaline water also carries the risk of disrupting the body's normal pH levels, which can have negative health effects. In extreme cases, an alkaline diet can cause metabolic alkalosis - the pH of the blood rises above normal, causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, muscle twitching, and tremors. , tingling in the face, hands or feet.
Despite some benefits, alkaline water has not been proven to be completely healthy and there are no official recommendations for its daily use.

Reference source: mayoclinic.org