Effects of alkaline water intake on gastritis and miRNA expression (miR-7, miR-155, miR-135b and miR-29c)
- Authors
- Juliana R. Chaves, Carolina R.T. de Souza, Antonio A.C. Modesto, Fabiano C. Moreira, Eliel B. Teixeira, Jonathan S. Sarraf, Thais S.R. Allen, Taissa M.T. Araujo, Andre S. Khayat
- Journal
- American Journal of Translational Research
- Year
- 2020
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Brazil
- Health Condition
- Gastritis
- Body System
- Gastrointestinal system
TL;DR
Drinking alkaline water with a higher pH for 5 months reduced the severity of gastritis and changed the levels of certain microRNAs in the stomach lining of patients.
Key Finding
After 5 months of drinking alkaline water, 43% of patients with moderate gastritis improved to mild gastritis, and two protective microRNAs (miR-135b and miR-29c) showed significantly increased expression.
Summary
Researchers studied whether drinking alkaline water (water with a higher pH, making it less acidic) could help people with gastritis, a condition involving stomach inflammation. Fifty people with gastritis in Brazil switched from regular drinking water to alkaline water with a pH between 8.5 and 10.0 for 5 months. The study found that gastritis symptoms improved in many patients, and certain molecular markers (microRNAs) associated with stomach health increased in their tissue samples.
Practical Takeaway
This small study suggests alkaline water may help reduce gastritis severity, but important limitations apply: the study had no control group (comparison group drinking regular water), the sample size was small and limited to one geographic region, and it's unclear whether the improvement came from the water's pH or other factors. More rigorous research with larger, diverse populations is needed before drawing firm conclusions about alkaline water's benefits for gastritis.
Abstract (excerpt)
It is known that abnormal expression of miRNAs in the gastric cancer (GC) contributes to its carcinogenesis. Therefore, ingestion of commercial (usual) water on a daily basis may be a contributing factor for the occurrence of alterations in the gastric mucosal. In this study, it was evaluated…