This is a
question I have been asked often by patients.
Often, they have been approached by salesmen of some alkaline water systems
to buy a machine to alkalise water. So do
we need to drink alkaline water? Some
systems allkalise water to run at a pH of 9 for drinking.
Let’s go back
basic physiology. Our blood runs at a pH of 7.35-7.40 (mildly alkaline), BUT
our stomach runs at a pH of 1.5-3.5 (acidic), our small
intestines and large intestines range in pH of 5.5 to 7 (mildly acidic to
neutral). Our stomach needs to run in
that acidic pH range in order to breakdown proteins. When the stomach acidity is compromised,
there is delayed breakdown of food and rotting begins. (you are now thinking about overacidity, that
is lactic acid from fermentation, not hydrochloric acid which we need for
proper breakdown of proteins!)
So if you drink
alkaline water at a pH of 9, it will start to neutralise your hydrogen ions
from your hydrochloric acid (which you need) in your stomach and bring stomach
pH to a less acidic level (bad for your digestion, slows it down, decreases
absorption of minerals that need an acidic medium like calcium and magnesium,
and increase gas from fermentation). Not a good idea at all. There is a distinction between body (blood)
pH and stomach pH. If you truly want to
alkalise yourself, drink lemon in water, make sure your mineral intake is adequate and eat
plenty of vegetables and some fruits.
So the conclusion
is: You should just drink filtered water. Invest in a good water filter and keep
yourself hydrated! You don’t need fanciful alkaline water machines.
