Should You Be Drinking Alkaline Water?

"Water, water everywhere" doesn't just describe your summer plans anymore. With so many different types of water on the market, from natural spring and mineral to electrolyte and alkaline, how do you choose what you should be hydrating with? Recent studies have suggested alkaline water in particular has several benefits for gut health as well as increased athletic performance. So, is alkaline water worth it? Alkaline water is water that's been filtered to a higher pH level, and the idea is that it can balance your body's pH and therefore stave off illness and disease. But are these claims legit? Celebrity nutritionist Keri Glassman (have you followed her on Instagram yet?) answers that question. This post was originally published on Keri's amazing blog, but we though it was too good not to share. We adapted it for our #askCB series.

Q—READER QUESTION:

I’ve heard more alkaline water is better for my health. Should I spend the extra money to buy bottled water with higher alkalinity?

A—KERI GLASSMAN, CELEBRITY NUTRITIONIST AND FOUNDER OF NUTRITIOUS LIFE 

Alkaline water is now everywhere. Many companies print the pH level on the bottle and then claim that their water—and theirs alone—will change your life (at a price premium). My overall advice is this: Drink water. Any water. Water, water, water. All day, every day. For energy, great skin, weight loss, and more. Whether or not that water is alkaline is sort of besides the point. There is very limited evidence that more alkaline water may have some small benefits, which I’ll explain below, but the research is inconclusive. There’s also no evidence that drinking alkaline water will hurt you, so if you’re intrigued, I won’t stop you, as long as you’re getting in those 64 ounces. Here’s what you need to know:

Alkalinity, Explained

PH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is, on a scale of 0 to 14. 0 is the most acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is the most alkaline. Foods can be acidic or alkaline; water is usually around neutral but can lean more acidic. Alkaline water has a pH above 7. Proponents of alkaline diets believe a diet high in acid-producing foods makes your body acidic, which leads to illness and weight gain. The science, however, generally shows their reasoning is bogus. First of all, the body is really good at regulating pH on its own—in fact, it has to do this to keep you alive. Your lungs and kidneys are working on the task around the clock. In addition, many acid-forming foods—like meat, oats, and some nuts—are healthy. (FYI the alkaline diet is mostly really healthy by default, since alkaline foods include green veggies, most fruits, beans, spices, and seeds. In other words, if you’re eating a healthy, plant-forward, whole foods diet, it will naturally include primarily alkaline foods.)

What About Alkaline Water?

So where does water fit in? There are claims that drinking it increases overall body alkalinity, which may be true, but body alkalinity itself is not linked to better health outcomes overall. Plus, remember the earlier point about the body’s internal regulation system that’s already always cranking. There is some evidence that alkaline water banishes AGEs (compounds linked to inflammation) in rats and that it may protect from pathogens by influencing bacteria in the gut—but all of the research claims are incredibly weak and speculative. The most solid research out there doesn’t show big, exciting benefits. It shows small benefits for specific people: for example, drinking alkaline water may help patients with reflux disease. Of course, the science so far also shows there’s no reason not to drink it. So if you want to shell out the extra cash to see if it helps improve a health issue you’re experiencing, go for it. Just do so while empowered with your new knowledge of the pH scale.  

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Keri Glassman also gave us her tips on how to order sushi the healthy way. Plus, are French fries really that bad for you?

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