Alkaline Water Helps Rats Lose Weight on High-Fat Diet
- Authors
- Dan Jin, Seung Kyu Park, Young Mi Lee, Yang Suk Yoon, Dong Heui Kim, Young Kim Deung, Kyu-Jae Lee
- Journal
- Journal of Experimental Biomedical Science
- Year
- 2006
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- South Korea
- Health Condition
- Obesity
- Body System
- Digestive
TL;DR
Drinking water treated with minerals to make it alkaline and antioxidant-rich helped reduce weight gain and fat in rats on a high-fat diet.
Key Finding
Rats fed a high-fat diet and given mineral-induced alkaline-reduced water gained significantly less weight and had lower blood triglycerides and liver fat compared to control rats.
Summary
Researchers gave rats on a high-fat diet either regular water or mineral-induced alkaline-reduced water (water treated with alkaline earth metals to have a higher pH and lower oxidation-reduction potential). Rats drinking the alkaline-reduced water gained less weight, had lower blood triglycerides (a type of fat), and had less fat buildup in their livers compared to control rats. The researchers believe this effect may be related to how the water reduces harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species in the body.
Practical Takeaway
This is an animal study in rats, so results cannot be directly applied to humans. While the findings suggest alkaline-reduced water may help reduce weight gain and fat accumulation in the context of a high-fat diet, human clinical trials would be needed to determine if similar effects occur in people. The study duration and sample size were not reported, which limits the strength of these conclusions.
Abstract
Mineral-induced alkaline-reduced water (MRW) is generated by the chemical reaction of water with alkaline earth metals and characterized by high pH and low oxidation-reduction potential. As ROS are believed to have a role in the pathogenesis of obesity, we attempted to determine the effect of MRW on obesity in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats fed on a high-fat diet. The body weight of the MRW group was significantly lower than that of the control group in most periods of the examination (P<0.05). Serum level of triglycerides (P<0.05) and fat deposition in the livers of the MRW group were found to have been significantly reduced. This suggests that MRW down-regulates lipid metabolism, thereby suppressing obesity. Possible mechanisms of MRW related to reactive oxygen species were also discussed. Our results suggest that MRW is effective in the alleviation of obesity in SD rats fed on high-fat diet.