Alkaline water helps in so many ways and has a significant number of health benefits.
From helping your body maintain a balanced pH level to boosting your immune system and keeping you hydrated, it comes in handy.
The benefits of this water are what make most people choose it. It’s tasty and free of odors you’ll most likely come across when drinking regular tap water.
But do you know that drinking this water for prolonged periods might harm your health? It can cause gastrointestinal complications and skin irritation, among other issues.
So, what are the dangers of drinking alkaline water? Continue reading to get a detailed answer.
What is Alkaline Water?
Water is a combination of hydrogen and water. Its pH level determines how acidic or alkaline it is. The pH level is measured by the number of hydrogen ions in a given solution.
Solutions with a high concentration of hydrogen ions have a low pH, whereas those with low hydrogen ion levels have a high pH.
A pH of 7 is considered neutral. Any solution with a pH above 7 is considered alkaline. If it has a lower pH, it’s considered acidic.
Therefore, alkaline water is simply water with a higher pH level of about 8 or 9.
Is Alkaline Water Better than Plain Water?
Clean, plain water has a neutral pH that helps your body stay balanced. Maintaining a consistent body pH is essential to your continued good health.
This is simply because most biochemical processes in your body rely on a specific pH level. Additionally, plain water is easy for the body to use in a variety of processes. It enables your body to regulate its pH.
Alkaline water, although with lots of benefits, can disrupt the way your body functions.
Body enzymes work best at precise pH levels. The enzymes enable chemical processes in your body that are highly crucial to the normal function and good health.
Changing your body’s pH can stop or reduce the function of these enzymes and result in serious health complications.
Dangers of Drinking Alkaline Water
The World Health Organization notes that too much acid is corrosive, and too much alkali is as well. It’s, therefore, true to argue that taking highly alkalized water daily and for too long isn’t a habit you want to copy.
Listed below are some of the dangers associated with drinking alkalized water for a long time.
Can be Harmful to Persons with Kidney Disease
According to www.medicinenet.com, If you are on a medication that affects kidney function or suffering from kidney disease, avoid drinking alkaline water.
Alkaline water can alter your body’s pH, putting extra strain on your kidneys and limiting your body’s ability to perform other important tasks necessary for your health.
Additionally, chemicals found in alkaline water can accumulate in your kidneys and cause further kidney impairment.
Also, if taking any medication, your only choice is to drink clean filtered water. This is because alkaline water is highly reactive with most medications and can produce toxic chemicals in the body.
Can Lower Stomach Acidity Levels
Stomach acidity is crucial for digestion and nutrition extraction. Additionally, many enzymes aren’t activated until they come into contact with the acidity of your stomach and intestines.
Therefore, if alkaline water really lowers the acidity in your stomach, it could be extremely harmful to your health.
There’s, however, no proof that alkaline water lowers stomach acidity levels.
Read also: Do Alkaline Water Pitchers Really Work?
Can Interfere with the Functioning of the Digestive System
You must consider your nutrition carefully when deciding whether to start using alkaline water. This is because some issues might arise after the water interacts with your diet.
Digestive efficiency largely depends on your internal organs functioning effectively.
Your stomach highly relies on maintaining a consistent pH level as well as other elements of your digestive system.
The chemical processes in the digestive tract also require the right conditions to take place. Your body can only absorb nutrients when it meets these conditions.
Additionally, your body must maintain a certain level of acidity to break down all the minerals and vitamins in the food you consume to make up a healthy diet.
Therefore, you must ensure that your body’s pH doesn’t shift too far. And you can’t guarantee this if you continue drinking highly alkalized water.
Can Negatively Affect Your Immune System
Although your immune system works in various ways, the first line of defense against bacteria and pathogens in your food lies in the stomach.
After eating, food travels to the stomach, which is highly acidic. Most microorganisms you consume can’t survive in this acidic environment for long.
They die and pass through the body without multiplying or causing diseases.
By drinking alkaline water, you’ll raise your stomach’s pH. This limits your immune system’s capacity to destroy harmful pathogens and microorganisms.
In simple terms, drinking alkaline water can make you more vulnerable to diseases.
Can Cause Metabolic Alkalosis
Metabolic alkalosis is a condition that occurs when your body’s normal pH levels are disrupted. The condition can reduce free calcium levels in your body and negatively affect the health of your bones.
Some of the symptoms of alkalosis include nausea, vomiting, headache, muscle twitching, and confusion.
Conclusion
Since the body strives to maintain a balanced pH, extremes in either acidity or alkalinity can result in adverse health effects. Elevating the pH too much on a higher alkaline side can cause a lot of problems in the future by impairing the digestion process.
Elements in alkaline water can also harm individuals suffering from kidney complications, can cause alkalosis, and mess with your immune system, among other health complications.
This means that although alkaline water is highly beneficial, you should avoid taking it, especially if you have health complications. Consult your doctor before you start drinking it daily just to be on the safe side. for additional information, visit now www.usgs.gov.