Drinking alkaline water can help to counteract acidity in the body, which in turn could improve our overall well-being.
The human body is a near-perfect machine and has very efficient pH regulation mechanisms that help maintain a proper balance. However, and especially nowadays, due to the amount of acidifiers and pollutants we are exposed to, the body has to make an extra effort to maintain this proper balance.
When we say that we alkalize our body through alkaline water or food it does not necessarily mean that our pH in saliva or urine will rise. But it does mean that the bicarbonates in the blood will rise. The pH of the blood does not change, but the ability of the blood to neutralize the acid in the body is elevated.
As we age we lose blood bicarbonates, which is an inevitable factor of aging. “The reduction of bicarbonate in the blood is the cause of aging and disease, not the result of getting older. As long as we replace bicarbonate in the blood we don't have to age so rapidly.” So argues Lynda Frassetto, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco.
Bicarbonates enter the bloodstream only when the stomach produces hydrochloric acid, so it is important to drink alkaline water with a high pH. On an empty stomach the pH value in the stomach may be relatively high, but the amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is small. Thus taking a high pH of between 8.5 and 9.5 of alkaline water will raise the pH of the stomach. This causes the stomach to respond with more hydrochloric acid, allowing more bicarbonates to enter the bloodstream.
Another possibility is that the alkaline water can enter the intestine immediately, since there is no solid food in the stomach to digest. When this happens, the blood will absorb alkaline water into the bloodstream, given that there is no solid in the stomach to be digested. The blood will then absorb alkaline water into the bloodstream from the intestine when this happens. If alkaline water were taken directly into the bloodstream from the intestine, the acid buffer (carbonic acid H2CO3) would interact with the alkaline water to lower the pH of the blood and the acid buffer would become an alkaline buffer.
An increase of bicarbonates in the bloodstream prevents aging and attacks degenerative diseases.