Alkaline Water Maintains Antioxidant Activity Better Than Regular Water
- Authors
- Seon-Mi Ahn, Meea Kang, Moo In Kim, Ho-Yong Sohn
- Journal
- Journal of Life Science
- Year
- 2010
- DOI
- 10.5352/JLS.2010.20.7.1107
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Neutral
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- South Korea
- Health Condition
- Bacterial Infections
- Body System
- Immune System
TL;DR
Alkaline ionized water (AIW) maintains its bioactivity under stress and has antibacterial effects, unlike tap and purified water.
Key Finding
Alkaline ionized water maintained antioxidant and antithrombotic (blood-clotting prevention) activities better than tap water when exposed to heat and physical stress in laboratory conditions.
Summary
Researchers compared alkaline ionized water (water made more basic through electrical treatment) with regular purified and tap water to see if they could maintain helpful properties like antioxidant activity (protecting against cellular damage) and antibacterial effects (killing harmful bacteria). They found that alkaline ionized water and purified water better preserved these protective properties when heated or shaken, while tap water did not. Alkaline ionized water also showed antibacterial activity against E. coli bacteria in lab tests.
Practical Takeaway
This laboratory study suggests alkaline ionized water may have potential benefits, but important limitations apply: the research was conducted in cells and test tubes rather than in humans, sample sizes were not reported, and the study did not directly test hydrogen water. More human studies would be needed to determine if these laboratory findings translate to real health benefits.
Abstract
In this study, the stable maintenance of bioactivity in alkaline ionized water (AIW) and antibacterial effects of AIW were evaluated to confirm benefits of AIW. As controls, purified water (PW) and tap drinking water (DW) were used. The pH and ORP (oxidation-reduction potential) of AIW, PW and DW used were 9.5 and 120 mV, 7.2 and 144 mV, and 7.3 and 564 mV, respectively. High level of minerals was observed in DW (DW>AIW>PW of mineral contents). Concentrations of and in DW were 14.5, and 8.4 mg/l, respectively, while no , , , and were detected in PW. Evaluation of antioxidant activities for AIW, PW and DW showed that the waters did not act as antioxidants. However, the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) or superoxide radical scavenging activities or reducing power of vitamin C were stably maintained in AIW and PW, though not in DW, against heat treatment () or vigorous shaking (120 rpm) at . Similarly, after aspirin treatment at for 1 hr, the antithrombosis activity in PW and AIW was 62.6% and 55.3%, while that of DW was 52.1%. Furthermore, cell growth analysis and viable cell count of Escherichia coli H7:O157 in PW, AIW and DW showed that AIW and DW, not DW, have antibacterial activities. Our results suggest that the state of water, for example pH, ORP and mineral contents of water, should be considered in medicine or food industries, and that AIW has high potential for utilization in various fields.