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DEBUNKING THE BENEFITS OF ALKALINE WATER DEBUNKING BENEFITS THE ALKALINE WATER Contrary to the belief that alkaline water can cure a host of illnesses, the evidence from chemistry and physiology suggests that it can cause health problems resulting from stomach acid production going into overdrive. an alkaline water help fight disease, combat acidity, enhance longevity and even cure cancer? Do the health claims being made for this new "wonder water" stand up to scientific scrutiny? More importantly, is there any evidence that some forms of "alkaline water" may even be harmful? Many claims have been made about the health benefits of drinking alkaline water. Whether from techno-wizards from Korea or China pushing "water ionisers", manufacturers touting the benefits of plastic-packaged water or perhaps one of the many self-published "health experts", these claims all promote the idea that "alkaline water" is not only vital for good health but is an essential weapon in the fight against all manner of disease and chronic health conditions. In this article, we take a closer look at the types of water being promoted and the claims for and against alkaline water, leaving you better informed and able to determine whether or not "alkaline water" is essential to good health or whether the claims are merely pseudo-scientific. First, we need to look more closely at pH and alkalinity. Definition of alkalinity The term "alkaline", which is so commonly used to describe a particular type of water, is neither technically accurate nor scientifically correct. Here's why. Chemists express acidity or alkalinity on the pH scale, which is considered to run from zero to 14.0 (although extremely acidic or extremely basic solutions have values outside this range). Acidic solutions are considered to have pH values of less than 7.0 and alkaline solutions greater than 7.0. The definition of alkalinity or acidity is the measure of a solution's ability to resist changes in pH. An alkaline solution, such as household bleach (NaOCl, sodium hypochlorite), has a PH value around 11.0. With a maximum value on the pH scale of 14, bleach is highly alkaline. If we were to mix sodium hypochlorite with a highly acidic solution like hydrochloric acid (HCI), which has a pH value around 2.0, then a roughly equal measure of one solution is required to cancel the other out. In other words, it requires around one litre of hydrochloric acid at pH 2.0 to neutralise one litre of household bleach at pH 11.0, creating a new solution with a reading of around pH 7.0 (neutral). The dilution required is equal because each solution has highly alkaline or highly acidic properties. In other words, the solutions strongly resist changes in pH. These solutions are strongly buffered. However, if we took one litre of hydrochloric acid at pH 2.0 and added one litre of water at pH 9.0 (which is very high for water), then the pH of the mixed solution would only be raised to around pH 3.0 or 4.0. This is because water is neither strongly alkaline nor strongly acidic. In chemistry, water is considered to be weakly buffered: it cannot resist changes to its pH, nor can it change the pH of a strongly buffered solution to any great degree. Water cannot effectively change the pH of hydrochloric acid or of an alkali like bleach unless dilution by a very significant factor occurs. by Jan Roberts BPharm (Hons), DipClinNutrition © 2008 c/- Woman Zone Level 3, 616-620 Harris Street Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia Email: jan@well4life.com.au by Jan Roberts BPharm (Hons), DipClinNutrition © 2008 c/- Woman Zone Level 3, 616-620 Harris Street Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia Why call water alkaline? Alkalinity or, more accurately, the pH reading of water is determined solely by the following three factors: Temperature: The temperature at which a sample of water is tested, which is always stated on laboratory reports, will affect the pH reading; for example, at 50°C the pH of water is 6.55. JUNE — JULY 2008 NEXUS +19 Email: jan@well4life.com.au www.nexusmagazine.com