Hydration is a key part of life. It helps us stay cool on hot summer days, helps keep our skin plump and clear and is overall part of a healthy lifestyle. However, choosing the right water now seems to be a puzzle. One “designer” water that has gained a lot of traction lately due to various health claims, is alkaline water.

Alkaline water has been ionized to increase its pH. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. Less than 7 is acidic (like lemon juice), more than 7 is alkaline (like many household cleaning products), and 7 is considered neutral. Normal bottled or tap water usually has a pH between 6.5 and 7.5, whereas alkaline water has a pH of 8, 9 or even higher. Advocates of alkaline water claim it promotes digestive health and bone health by neutralizing acidity in the body and providing better hydration. Although some people have found relief from acid reflux when drinking alkaline water, scientific evidence backing these claims is lacking.

A 2022 study tested the effect of alkaline water on metabolic risks among postmenopausal women. The women who drank alkaline water regularly had improved sleep duration, grip strength and metabolic health markers. However, results across various studies have been inconsistent.

A review article, also published in 2022, discussed the advantages of alkaline water on gastrointestinal disorders. The study’s authors explain that a stressful lifestyle can lead to over-production of free radicals, which eventually causes damage to the body. The authors also talk about how alkaline water reduces excess free radicals and decreases inflammation. But more research is needed to understand how this works.

One potential way alkaline water could improve acid reflux is by neutralizing the strongly acidic stomach. The acidity of the stomach, with a pH between 1 and 3, is maintained primarily by gastric acid, a digestive aid that helps break down proteins to extract nutrients from food.

Gastric acid provides a hostile environment for pathogens, preventing infections. Drinking alkaline water can temporarily raise the pH of the stomach, which could potentially relieve acute acid reflux. But the stomach has a robust buffering system that will respond by producing more gastric acid to ensure the digestive system keeps working properly. In fact, changing the pH of any area of the body is difficult due to the powerful acid-base balancing system the entire body has in place.

The problem with relying on alkaline water to treat acid reflux or other medical conditions is that it may interact with medications. People who already take acid reflux medication may cause damage to their digestive system if they take it with alkaline water.

Those with kidney disease may want to speak with a doctor before exclusively switching to alkaline water because it can affect electrolyte balance. Electrolytes are minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, that are generally beneficial for our health. But when we consume electrolytes in excess, it could cause potential issues such as fatigue, irregular heartbeat, muscle cramps or nausea, especially in people with kidney disease.

So, if you’re healthy and like the taste of alkaline water, drink up! It may not improve your health, but it will keep you hydrated this summer.