5 Potential Health Benefits of Alkaline Water
Updated on January 24, 2025
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If you’ve wandered down the bottled water aisle at the supermarket or scrolled through Instagram, you’ve likely come across alkaline water. But is there any difference between alkaline water and regular old H2O?
“First, it is important to understand that alkaline means that it neutralizes an acid,” says Rosa Becerra-Soberon, RDN, a registered dietitian-nutritionist in Durham, North Carolina. Experts measure alkaline substances and acids with the pH scale, which goes from 0 to 14. If something has a pH of less than 7, it’s acidic. If its pH is above 7, it’s alkaline (also called basic).
For comparison, most town tap water has a pH of about 7.5, bottled water is closer to 7.0, and alkaline water typically rests between 8.0 and 9.0. Compared with tap water, some believe you’ll score beneficial nutrients from alkaline water. Here’s how dietitians really feel about this trend, and whether alkaline water is worth it.
Alkaline Water Nutrition Facts
Here is a look at the potential contents of an 8-ounce (oz) bottle of alkaline water:
- Calories: 0
- Total fat: 0
- Saturated fat: 0
- Trans fat: 0
- Cholesterol: 0
- Sodium: 4.8 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 0
- Dietary fiber: 0
- Total sugars: 0
- Added sugars: 0
- Protein: 0
- Calcium: 24 mg
- Magnesium: 4.8 mg
- Copper: 0.017 mg
Natural alkaline water (also known as mineral water) runs over rocks and picks up minerals like calcium carbonate, magnesium, and potassium. These minerals naturally raise the water’s pH, creating alkaline water. You need these minerals for most areas of your body to function well, including your bones, heart, muscles, and brain.
“There are two types of alkaline water,” says Becerra-Soberon. “Natural from the springs, which is most alkaline bottled water at the store, and chemically processed.” Natural alkaline water is collected and bottled, whereas the processed version gets its higher pH through a device called an “ionizer,” which uses electricity to add hydrogen to the water.
Some claim added hydrogen offers a few of alkaline water’s benefits, but experts need more research to say for sure. If you’re drinking alkaline water for its minerals, choose the natural version, or a processed version with minerals added.
5 Possible Health Benefits of Alkaline Water You Should Know About
Some claim alkaline water can have some pretty impressive benefits, from better hydration to cancer prevention, but the research is mixed.
1. Alkaline Water May Help With Hydration
In one small study of 12 male university students, researchers found those who drank natural alkaline water (the kind with minerals) for three days before intense physical activity were better hydrated than those who drank tap water.
Drinking any kind of water is important for athletes, because dehydration can worsen performance, lower coordination, and cause muscle cramps. As long as you’re hydrating, drinking alkaline water can’t hurt, says Alex Oskian, RDN, a registered dietitian and a nutrition coach in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
“If a product helps you consume more water, especially if the product isn’t harmful in nature, then hydration will improve since more water is consumed,” says Oskian. But more research is needed to show that alkaline water hydrates better than regular water.
2. Alkaline Water Might Combat Acid Reflux
Since alkaline substances neutralize acid, drinking alkaline water can combat the symptoms of high acidity in your stomach, but not for long. “The contents of the stomach are very acidic; so, consuming a product that will help reduce the acidity can provide some temporary relief,” says Oskian. “However, it likely will only be a temporary solution; maybe a few minutes at most.”
It’s important to know that alkaline water may be dangerous when consumed along with certain medications, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Check with a healthcare provider before you combine alkaline water with any meds.
3. Alkaline Water May Prevent Bone Loss
As people age, many start worrying about bone loss, also known as osteoporosis, which can make bones brittle and more likely to fracture, especially in women after menopause. Your body needs to keep your blood pH between 7.35 and 7.45.
One way your body does this is by releasing calcium into your bloodstream, which leaves less to keep your bones strong.
In one study of 100 women (post-menopause), those who drank alkaline water daily for three months while taking supplements had stronger bone strength scores than those who took supplements only. “When combined with calcium supplementation and bone health medication, research does show drinking alkaline water provides some improvements for bone loss,” says Oskian. Research doesn’t tell us yet if alkaline water alone can do the same.
4. Some Claim That Alkaline Water Is Detoxifying
We are frequently exposed to toxins, either through our own body’s by-products or by what we eat or drink. Any increase in hydration can help your body flush out toxins, but studies haven’t yet proven that alkaline water does this better than any other kind, says Oskian.
5. Early Research Suggests Alkaline Water May Offer Cancer Protection
Some studies suggest cancer can’t grow well in alkaline environments, and some experts have asked whether an alkaline diet (including alkaline water) could make our bodies unfriendly to cancer, preventing its development. The biggest problem with this theory is that alkaline water doesn’t change your blood pH, so drinking it is unlikely to affect cancer cells one way or another.
“More research is needed to support this specific claim,” says Oskian. “Currently, research and medical professionals do claim that food or water can’t change the body’s pH levels much since the system is tightly regulated.”
How to Incorporate Alkaline Water Into Your Lifestyle
Since the most important factor is to stay hydrated, you can incorporate alkaline water into your lifestyle by drinking it instead of regular water and other drinks.
You need 9 to 13 cups of water per day (depending on whether you're male or female and your activity level) to stay healthy. “If adding alkaline water as part of a balanced and healthier lifestyle allows you to increase water consumption, then why not?” says Becerra-Soberon.
Practical Tips on Consuming Alkaline Water
You’ll pay more for alkaline water, but if you decide to give it a try, you can check out Essentia, which uses an ionization process to make the water alkaline, or Flow, which is an alkaline spring water. You can also try an alkaline infuser, like the GoFiltr Alkaline Filter to make your own alkaline water at home.
Alkaline water has a good safety track record, but some personal water ionizers can boost your water’s pH level much higher than you think, sometimes over a pH of 12. Over time, alkaline water can cause health issues like low potassium and abnormal heart rhythms. Alkaline water may also raise blood pH, causing changes in potassium levels, which can be dangerous for those with kidney disease.
“I can’t necessarily stand behind the claims that alkaline water can or will improve different things as a result of drinking only alkaline-specific water alone,” says Oskian. “[But] I am a huge promoter of consuming water in general.”
Keep drinking water, whether it’s alkaline, tap, or any other kind, and stay hydrated.
The Takeaway
- Alkaline water has grown popular. Some promoters tout spectacular health claims, from better hydration to prevention of bone loss or cancer.
- Research has yet to show that alkaline water actually offers these benefits.
- If symptoms from conditions like persistent acid reflux are a concern, consult with a healthcare provider for appropriate treatment rather than self-treating with alkaline water.
- Staying hydrated in general is a good thing, so keep drinking alkaline water if you like it, regardless of any benefits it may have.
Meet Our Experts
Reyna Franco, RDN
Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American Col...
Abby McCoy, RN
Author
Abby McCoy is an experienced registered nurse who has worked with adults and pediatric patients encompassing trauma, orthopedics, home care, transplant, and case management. She is...
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Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
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