How Does Alkaline Water Strengthen Our Immune System?
When one is taking health seriously, the last thing one thinks about is the role that water, and specifically alkaline water, plays when it comes to maintaining our balance and improving our body's immune defenses. Water is life, and it actually is a big part of our bodies. However, we tend to assume it, as we do not question the kind of water we take daily. Alkaline water is way more than just a source of hydration; it is pretty significant to our health and well-being.
Body pH Balance
pH is the measure of the body's acidity or alkalinity. Appropriate body pH is important for health. Balanced pH helps all the functions in our body go in the right direction and saves us from many diseases. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, with 7 regarded as the neutral point. Any reading below 7 is acidic, while any reading above 7 is alkaline. The body works at an optimally minimally alkaline pH of 7.4. However, diet, stress, and environmental toxins easily break this balance, leading to a too-acidic internal environment.
On becoming too acidic, it may cause a variety of issues in the human organism, from extreme fatigue and digestive problems to weak immune systems. One of the easiest and best ways to maintain balance in the body's pH is through alkaline water. The pH value is higher than in regular water, usually between 8 and 9, and much less acidic so that it can be more effective to neutralize all the acids in our body.
What Is Alkaline Water?
Basically, alkaline water is water with a different pH from that of regular tap or bottled water. While the latter is usually neutral, with a near 7 pH, that for alkaline water is higher to make it more alkaline in nature. This higher pH is attained either naturally by the water while flowing over rocks and picking up minerals or through artificial methods dealing with ionization or adding alkaline minerals.
The main difference between alkaline water and normal water is that it can neutralize the acidity. Most of the tap and bottled water we drink have a high degree of acidity, which could be hazardous to health. If acidic water is taken consistently over time, it tends to increase the body's acidity, weakening the immunity and predisposing it to several diseases.
While clean water intake is highly advised, considering the pH level in that water is equally critical. Alkaline water filters adjust the appropriate pH for that water to drink so that what you drink serves your body better.
Scientific Insight: Alkaline Water and Health
A large and growing body of research points to the positive effects of alkaline water on health. Many research studies and scientific reviews have been published focusing on the potential benefits accruable from the use of alkaline water, ranging from better hydration to improved digestion and enhanced immune function.
For example, a 2022 review published in the International Journal of Environmental Health Engineering presented some benefits associated with alkaline water, such as improved hydration and digestion. As suggested by this research, since the pH of alkaline water is higher than regular drinking water, it would be easier for the body to absorb the water and, hence, provide the appropriate hydration of the organism. Proper hydration is crucial for the health of any living being because water participates in many functions of the organism's activity, such as digestion, circulation, and body temperature regulation.
Also, Nobel Prize winner and world-renowned scientist Dr. Otto Warburg unraveled that diseases proliferate in acidic environments repelling oxygen and fostering the rearing of disease-causing microorganisms. He said it is possible to optimize the body's pH levels to improve the chances of the immune system having a favorable chance of fighting off the infection. As stated by Warburg, too much acidity in the body environment would foster the increase of microorganisms that cause disease, while an alkaline environment would hamper it.
Other recent studies show that alkaline water can raise the life expectancy of an organism by depressing the aging process. Although aging is natural, in several cases it may be accelerated by factors like oxidative stress and free radicals in an organism's body. Since alkaline water has antioxidant properties, it can neutralize free radicals, thus limiting oxidative stress and possibly delaying the aging process. One study found there was a marked improvement in blood viscosity—how thick or thin the blood is—after alkaline water consumption on the part of participants following a bout of very strenuous exercise. This means it improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissues, very critical for general health and vitality.
Another research effort published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine reported that alkaline water could help prevent osteoporosis and protect pancreatic beta cells because of its antioxidant properties. Osteoporosis is a bone disease when they have become too weak, which may lead to fractures and many more other complications. Keeping the bones healthy by taking adequate amounts of calcium and magnesium present in alkaline water, it can help reduce the risk of contracting osteoporosis, according to the research.
How Does Alkaline Water Boost Immunity?
The immune system is the body's defense mechanism against such harmful pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and all those invaders that end up entering our body. The immune system plays an indispensable role in the prevention of infections and good health. Alkaline water can contribute to boosting the immune system through creating an overall more balanced internal environment.
One way through which alkaline water boosts immunity is through aiding the balance of pH in the body. A low pH condition in the body depresses the immune organisms and weakens the body's immune system, and it becomes incapable of executing actions against the infection. Through the removal of acidity, alkaline water assists in creating a more alkaline environment within the body, which sustains the functioning of the immune system.
Another problem common with people who enjoy spicy foods, such as acid reflux, can also be relieved with alkaline water. This is a condition in which some of the stomach acid is thrown back up into the esophagus and causes heartburn, indigestion, and discomfort. Among other things, producing alkaline water will have the impact of allowing the stomach acids not to be too highly active, thus soothing some effects related to acid reflux and enhancing the digestive system. If digestion takes place the way it should, the body will be in a position to absorb good nutrients, which provide a backbone to a healthy immune system.
Alkaline water boosts immunity in another way by fighting free radicals that bring about early aging and reduce immunity. Free radicals are unstable molecules that the body accommodates due to the natural process of oxidation that, in the long term, may lead to chronic diseases and hastened aging processes. The antioxidant properties in alkaline water help neutralize free radicals, reducing oxidative stress and supporting overall health.
This buildup can eventually impede the natural flow of the body's activities, leading to a feeling of weakness and fatigue. The alkaline water helps in the neutralization of these said toxins and effectively, with the easy absorption of nutrients in the body, gets them absorbed well. It is such improved absorption and assimilation that the body is effectively cleared of garbage and other toxic materials, and the workload on the immune system becomes light, enabling it to perform its functions well.
Drinking of alkaline water regularly can aid in better circulatory performance since it will be a better quality blood that will ensure more oxygen is transported to the important organs. For producing and performing all the activities in the body, energy output is obligatory, and oxygen aids in this process by supplying energy to all the body cells. For the immune response to function efficiently, oxygen is also a critical component. By increasing oxygen supply carried by blood, alkaline water boosts the immune system in its work by supplying the necessary tools to fight and defeat pathogens.
It reduces the oxidation-reduction potential, which causes the water to attain antioxidant characteristics because the blood's acidity is neutralized. The lower the ORP, the more the water will be able to function as an antioxidant. Antioxidants carry out the function of safeguarding the body cells from damage caused by free radicals, and they also boost the immune system.
Besides that, alkaline water impregnates ordinary drinking water with all these vital minerals, for example, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. General human body functions that can be related to such minerals are muscle contraction, nerve function, and bone use. Since alkaline water is the source, it is gotten from the list providing better digestion, stronger bones, weight management, skin hydration, anti-aging, detoxification, and even longevity.
Alkaline Water and Longevity
The belief that alkaline water can contribute to longevity is founded on its capacity to decrease oxidative stress and reinforce general health. Whereas aging in itself is a completely natural process, several factors may speed it up, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and a bad diet. Since alkaline water has antioxidant properties, it can counteract these causative factors of aging and ultimately slower the process of aging, hence promoting a longer and healthier life.
Its antioxidant properties can enhance longevity besides its property to make this water alkaline. Hydration is a major factor in the maintenance of good and healthy skin and body temperature as well as cellular activities. Proper hydration brings an improved performance of the body, thereby making a person experience healthy living and well-being.
Water is one of the most critical components of our bodies, making up about 60% of an adult's body weight. More often than not, it gets overshadowed when we focus on the many aspects of our health. Much as we take good care of so many areas concerning our health, we cannot forget the very important role that water, especially alkaline water, plays in keeping balance within our bodies and boosting our immunity to create overall well-being. Make alkaline water your routine, and from better hydration and digestion to supercharging immunity and enhancing the potential for a longer life, support your well-being. Think of making alkaline water a part of your everyday routine and experience the full range of benefits.
