Is alkaline water a scam?!

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Up until recently, the scientific opinion of hydration was that all you need to worry about is whether the water you ingest is verifiably clean. However, a substantial body of NEW scientific research into the benefits of "electrolyzed-reduced" or "alkaline water" has yielded an range of potential benefits. PubMed (published by the National Institutes of Health) lists nearly 100 double-blinded, peer-reviewed articles describing demonstrated benefits of alkaline water tested in both human and animal studies. While it's true the resting pH of the body is relatively stable at 7.35-7.45, the benefits of alkaline water have more to do with the performance of the water in the body than with the pH of the body. For instance, in studies conducted in Switzerland at the Lausanne University Hospital, calcium resorption was evidenced to be dramatically reduced in osteoporosis patients fed naturally-occurring alkaline water. (The scientists anticipate similar results for alkaline water produced by electrolyzed-reduced ionization.) Other studies evidence increased absorption of nutritional supplements when ingested with alkaline water; and absorption is decreased as the acidity of the water is increased. So, while it's true that unscrupulous manufacturers of some ionizing devices may make exaggerated claims for their products, there are reliable manufacturers making claims well within the range supported by recent science. For instance, Enagic—a major manufacturer of ionizing appliances—recently published a list of claims for alkaline water based on the science reported by the NIH and other reliable scientific sources. And in addition to the benefits of alkaline water, a growing number of applications are being found for the acidic water byproduct produced in the ionization process. Acidic water is reported to be a superior agent for cleaning and a non-polluting agent in procedures that traditionally have relied on environmentally dangerous solvents and salts, such as industrial cleaning and swimming pool sanitation. While the research is ongoing, the findings are uniformly compelling to support a number of reliable claims for the benefits of drinking alkaline water and using acidic water as a "green" solution for a number of cleaning procedures that once insisted on environment-risking solvents and other polluting agents. The greatest risk to the advancement of water science is presented by the uninformed and the under-informed whose opinions are based upon old science or no science. For instance, to suggest "the machines don't make water alkaline" is to fly in the face of dozens of scientific studies that rely on electrolyzed-reduction to produce alkaline water. Such opinion usually is advanced without scientific verification by persons who have neither credentials nor education in the emerging science of alkaline water benefits.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19954569
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19954569
http://www.enagic.com/watertheory_kangenbenefits.php
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19202298
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20836884

Yes. The water is legitimate. A simple way to prove the water is alkaline is to use reagent drops or a pH meter. There are about a thousand different videos online showing you examples.

However, the problems come from the companies selling ionizers. Many of them, like Enagic, employ home business reps who inflate the capabilities, tear down any competitors through false information and use high pressure sales techniques. The me too companies then do the same thing through websites and fake reviews.

Alkaline water is a wonderful substance, but the industry itself is very dirty. I suggest you find someone local and test the water for a week or 2. Be up front with them, buy it by the gallon and make an experiential decision for yourself. If it works, then find the best deal. There are a ton of electric options under $1000 and non-electric under $500.

Good luck.

www.waterfyi.com
www.alkastream.com
www.watershed.net
www.detoxifynow.com/snake_oil.html

Yes - the alkaline water machine is a scam.

The body is by nature slightly alkaline. Various regulatory mechanisms in your body work to maintain a stable slightly alkaline pH. This is necessary for the body to function properly.

So one really can't (and shouldn't wish one could) make the body more alkaline/acidic. The rumours that claim that altering the body pH will prevent/cure cancer, and that this can be achieved through certain diets or supplements are false. The changes in urinary pH are simply a result of the body's regulatory mechanisms, where excess acid/base is eliminated through the kidneys.

If you want to read further details on this myth, these sites are recommended:
http://anaximperator.wordpress.com/2010/…
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRela…
http://foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/C_ance…

The machines don't make water alkaline.

Edit: Nearly all tap and mineral water is mildly alkaline anyway, the machines have no feasible mechanism of operation and absolutely no way of increasing alkalinity unless they physically add chemicals to the water.

Not only is "alkaline water" a scam, but the entire "Body pH Diet" thing is a superscam. The human body has no single pH value, and even if it did it wouldn't be altered by dietary intake.

i thought water was neutral.. i'd stick to the old 7 on the pH scale, just in case.. :p

Yes, it's more water snake oil I'm afraid. You cannot alter the pH of your body with the food you eat.