About the Author: Sadia Salman is a certified nutritionist from Tufts University, USA and the CEO of Diet by Design(Int’l). She has over seven years of experience in treating patients with various health issues through food both in Pakistan and in Canada. Most of her work is on managing diseases like hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes etc through weight management. She believes in building a healthy community by educating the masses in any capacity that she can. Her new health blog is one of the ways to spread awareness about health and nutrition.

Alkaline water is the new buzz word doing the circles in the field of health. So what’s the hype all about?

What is Alkaline Water?

Alkalinity refers to the pH level which is a number that measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is on a scale of 1-14, with 7 being neutral. Alkaline water (pH 8 or 9) has a higher pH level than that of regular drinking water (pH 7) which can benefit the body in some ways.

Does it Really Work?

One study has established that drinking alkaline water may help deactivate pepsin which is the enzyme that causes acid reflux. Another study suggested that it may help with hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol. A more recent study conducted on 100 people concluded that alkaline water reduced the viscosity of the blood by 6.3% (as compared with 3.3% with regular water) thus helping the blood flow and more efficient delivery of oxygen throughout the body after a workout.

What are the Possible Benefits of Alkaline Water?

• Anti-aging properties: Liquid antioxidants absorb more quickly into the body.
• Colon cleansing: Alkaline Blood flows more efficiently and may improve colon health
• Immune system: Immunity can be boosted by a having more gut friendly bacteria in an alkaline environment.
• Hydration, skin health and detoxification: Acidity in the body makes it toxic. Alkaline water can help clear the toxins more effectively.
• Weight Loss: Fat is acidic and it needs to be eliminated through the blood stream. The more alkaline the blood is, it may be removed faster.
• Cancer resistance: Cancer cells grow in an acidic environment so introducing something alkaline will fight the free radicals.

Should We Switch to Alkaline Water?

Alkaline water is safe to drink and has additional minerals which can only benefit us.

There is still a lot of debate about the benefits of alkaline water but this debate is not about the safety of this water, rather the possible benefits.

Despite the fact that there isn’t enough scientific evidence yet, it is safe to say, in my opinion, that alkaline water can be more beneficial than regular water!

So drink it up and stay hydrated the alkaline way!