From juice detoxes to SoulCycle, there’s always some transformative cure-all making the rounds. Recently, the benefits of alkaline water and a veggie-rich alkaline diet have been in the news, finding support from the notably not-so-scientific likes of Dr. Oz. Proponents of alkaline water — that is, water that possesses a higher, less-acidic pH thanks to having fewer hydrogen ions — claim the stuff can do anything from preventing cancer and fighting off illness to simply increasing energy, all by altering the pH of the drinker’s body. But the scientific community is fighting back by insisting that, like most cure-alls, alkaline water actually cures nothing.
The benefits of an alkaline diet, including drinking alkaline water — either purchased in bottled form or made at home with a $2,000-$6,000 ionizer — derive from alkaline foods’ supposed ability to help the body deal with our “extra-acidic” lifestyle. It’s a neat, appealing solution to a much greater problem. So many of the worst foods Americans eat — such as canned foods, greasy meats, and soda — are acidic. So wouldn’t it be convenient if an alkaline diet could easily undo that harm?
Or, as a video for alkaline water company Qure Water puts it: “Our cells are dependent on the cleanliness and proper pH of our internal fluids to be healthy… However, in today’s society, we consume so many acidic, processed foods and beverages that tax our bodies, giving us an over-acidic internal environment.” The solution? Righting the acid-base balance by adding some alkaline water.
But when people talk about trying to balance our bodies’ pH, they’re usually talking about the pH of our blood, which typically exists in the slightly alkaline range of 7.35 to 7.45 — without ever going too much higher or lower. “If it does go too much above or below that, you die,” says Charles Mueller, PhD, RDN, clinical associate professor of nutrition at New York University. He emphasises that if your blood pH is abnormally high or low, your first clue will be passing out.
