Short Answer: While alkaline water companies suggest there are a host of health benefits to drinking water with a higher pH level, most scientific institutions say there’s little solid evidence of any benefits to drinking alkaline water over neutral pH water.
Longer Answer: First, alkaline water is water that has a higher pH level than typical drinking water. This process is done either through natural or artificial means, typically by adding minerals like calcium or magnesium through ionization. The past ten years have seen an explosion in the alkaline water market in the U.S, rising from under $100 million in 2013 to over $2 billion in 2019. The total liters of alkaline water consumed globally nearly doubled from 357 million liters to 635 million liters in just five years. This massive increase in popularity prompted research to determine whether alkaline water was worth its premium price. However, most dietitians agree that alkaline water is essentially marketing hype with very little evidence of helping chemotherapy, preventing osteoporosis, or detoxifying the body. Drinking alkaline water also does not drastically alter the pH balance of blood because it is largely neutralized once it hits the very acidic stomach acid. The human body is very good at restoring the pH balance of blood as long as it receives proper nutrients and water, making alkaline water primarily useless. While a small-scale study suggested that alkaline water hydrates athletes better, most medical institutions believe more research is needed to verify and replicate these results. Given the massive growth of the alkaline water industry, it’s clear that alkaline water will continue to populate store shelves for years to come despite the lack of scientific backing.