Alkaline Water Improves Blood Flow Better Than Regular Water After Exercise
Effect of electrolyzed high-pH alkaline water on blood viscosity in healthy adults
Research hubs: Cardiovascular System
- Evidence type
- Randomized controlled trial · Human study
- Authors
- Joseph Weidman, Ralph E. Holsworth, Bradley Brossman, Daniel J. Cho, John St.Cyr, Gregory Fridman
- Journal
- Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
- Year
- 2016
- PMID
- 27932937
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 100
- Delivery
- Water (Electrolysis)
- Duration
- 1 day or less
- Funding
- Essentia Water
- Conflicts of interest
- REH received consulting fees and stock options from Essentia Water. DJC, JJW and BB received consulting fees from Rheovector. JAS received a fee for editing the manuscript.
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 43 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- United States
TL;DR
Drinking high-pH water after exercise reduced blood thickness more effectively than standard water.
Key Finding
Electrolyzed high-pH alkaline water reduced high-shear blood viscosity by 6.3% after exercise-induced dehydration, compared to a 3.4% reduction with standard purified water.
Summary
This study had 100 healthy adults exercise in a warm environment until they lost about 2% of their body weight through sweating. They then drank either electrolyzed high-pH (alkaline) water or regular purified water to rehydrate. Researchers measured several markers of hydration, including blood viscosity (how thick or thin the blood is). The alkaline water reduced high-shear blood viscosity (a measure of blood thickness under stress) by 6.3%, compared to 3.4% for regular water, though other hydration markers showed no meaningful differences between the two types of water.
Practical Takeaway
This small study suggests that alkaline water may affect how blood flows slightly differently than regular water during post-exercise rehydration in healthy adults. However, the clinical importance of a 3% difference in blood viscosity is unclear, and other standard hydration measures showed no difference between the waters. More research in larger groups and different exercise conditions would be needed before drawing conclusions about practical health benefits.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background: Previous research has shown fluid replacement beverages ingested after exercise can affect hydration biomarkers. No specific hydration marker is universally accepted as an ideal rehydration parameter following strenuous exercise. Currently, changes in body mass are used as a parameter…