The Benefits of Natural Alkaline Water
Water is the most essential ingredient of living organisms. A person can live for weeks without food, but will not survive more than a few days without water. All water sources are not equal, however. The human body is naturally slightly alkaline, and serious problems result when it is acidic for too long. At the very least, alkaline water can help restore the body's natural pH balance. Considering that 50 to 70 percent of an adult's body weight is water, it's not surprising that the quality of water we drink can affect our overall health.
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Identification
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A neutral pH level is 7. The lower the pH level, the more acidic a substance becomes. For reference, stomach acid has a pH of between 1 and 2, and anything above 7 is technically alkaline. Products marketed as alkaline water generally range between a pH of 8 and 10. What makes water alkaline is the presence of dissolved minerals like silica, calcium, bicarbonate, magnesium and potassium.
Significance
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The basic benefit of drinking alkaline water is to reverse an acidic condition in the body. Essential nutrients are depleted faster when the body is acidic, and pathogenic bacteria breed faster, which leads to infection and sickness, and a greater strain on the immune system. Other long-term conditions, such as chronic fatigue, arthritis, ulcers, back pain and depression are also associated with an acidic diet.
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Function
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Body functions like cellular respiration produce acidic waste products. Under normal circumstances, the body can remove these waste products without greatly affecting overall pH. The problem, however, rises when people eat almost exclusively acid-producing foods instead of naturally alkalizing fruits and raw vegetables. The body then produces more acidic waste than it can handle, and the body becomes acidic. Drinking alkaline water, especially with a pH of 9 or above, is the fastest way to reverse an acidic condition in the body.
Benefits
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Alkaline water produces all the benefits typically associated with an alkaline diet. These include feelings of higher energy levels, better digestive health and more regular elimination, and the reversal of symptoms caused by chronic acidity and disease. Some claim that an alkaline diet can slow or even reverse the effects of aging by repairing free radical damage. These benefits are over and above those of simply drinking more water, which can have significant advantages by itself.
Features
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Commercial alkaline water products are usually filtered, ionized and then made alkaline through the addition of minerals. Products such as pH-boosting drops than can be added to bottled water to make it alkaline. Alkaline water can also be made at home for little cost--the easiest way is to squeeze lemon or lime juice into purified water. Raw, organic apple cider vinegar can also be added to water to make it alkaline.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Marlon Felippe
