Good or Bad?
Water is considered to be the universal solvent
and one of the most important liquids on Earth. It is really important and
plays a vital role in life of a person. Without water, life is not possible. In
chemistry, we are all aware that water is consisting of very small molecules.
Each of them has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom that forms a chemical
formula H2O. Through successive developments of science, different studies were
conducted about how water and Alkalization exists. It was formed by the words
Alkaline and Ionization. It is a process of lowering acid in a solution and
alkaline is the product of this systematic process.
An alkaline is commonly used as a
synonym for base or basic. It is any substance that contains pH level greater
than 7. Then, alkaline water is a water having a pH level higher than 7 approximately
8. It is commonly known as ionized water and helps neutralize the chemical
imbalances of the body because of being a basic substance. Although alkaline
water can lessen the acidic waste in the body and can cause body rejuvenation,
I believe that it is very unnatural and can cause cardiovascular disease and
metabolic imbalances.
According to an alternative and natural medicine
study, drinking alkaline water brings a healthy body. Alkaline water is known
as an antioxidant. Meaning, it helps to fight cancer and other related
diseases. It helps flushes away the toxin in the body and helps in getting rid
of free radicals. It supplies health-sustaining minerals such as Ca, K, Na, Mg
to the body. Alkaline water also helps the cells in our body to live longer. Second, findings
state that alkaline water is a
term used when the pH is above 7. The effect of alkaline water in the
body is enormous. Normally, our body was greatly affected by the food and
drinks that we eat that makes it acidic. After ingestion, alkaline water is
almost immediately neutralized by hydrochloric acid present in the stomach.
After leaving the stomach, water is combined with pancreatic enzymes,
transforming the final product into an alkaline agent once again. Drinking water with a
pH around 8- 10 helps neutralize and bring balance in the body.
(Backhouse, 2010) Another amazing effect of such water (Backhouse, 2011) is that by drinking alkaline water, it helps reduce
the acidic waste in the body, making us less susceptible to diseases and
illness. Body rejuvenation is another wonderful effect of alkaline water that
helps build a stronger immune system.
After identifying the different good effects of
alkaline water, there are also studies that were conducted to investigate on
the negative effects of alkaline water. Biological Terrain Analysis helps in
the realization that water with a strongly negative ORP value is way out of
balance for the human body. It controls the reducing
power of a substance without the altering effects of pH. It may originally reduce the
free radical load but continued consumption and the aggressive neutralization
of oxygen radicals upsets cellular redox balance, which plays a vital role in
immune function and metabolic homeostasis (Pangman, 2004). Studies that “ionized”
waters are antioxidants are not true; hypochlorites (present in most such water)
are in fact oxidizing agents. (Lower, 2011) Medical research proves that their
absence is as dangerous as their profusion. The continuing consumption of
alkaline water tips the balance and it opens the way for other related
metabolic problems. (Evans, 2003) Other studies,
specifically the new science of water, found out that since the metabolic process
begins in the stomach—an extremely acidic environment— person or people must be
thinking of the effects of drinking alkaline water in digestion process. According
to some articles such as Genesis Framework showing this kind of statistics, fifty
percent of people over the age of 60 are hypochlorhydric. This means that the stomach
can not produce enough stomach acid particularly gastric acid. This situation
presents a serious problem regarding digestion. The third strongest negative point according to
the studies of eMedicine: Alkalosis, drinking alkaline water can cause chemical
changes within the body that affects the stability and function of our heart.
In a study published in the Journal of Toxicology Science in 1998, researchers
conducted a study regarding alkaline water and they used rats as one of the
experimental variable. They found out that the rats suffered from hardening of
heart muscles. Drinking alkaline water leads to increased enzymes, potassium
levels and weight gain and resulted in damage to the rats' hearts. They also
tried to let the rats drink tap water, and they found out that rats were not
affected or they did not suffer from any related disease.
With these findings, I believe that drinking alkaline
water has no empirical evidence that it has noticeable effect on the body.
There are no credible evidence in scientific manner to support claims that
alkaline water has greater health effects or health benefits than drinking
natural water. “There is no reason to believe that water formed from the
process of ionization can heal any disease or makes a person strong.” (Monique,
2011) I can also conclude that most of the evidence used to support claims on
health benefits for alkaline water came from personal recommendation and is not
parallel with some results of some researches that were conducted.
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