Alkaline Water Plus Walking Reduces Inflammation in Diabetes
Synergistic Effects of Regular Walking and Alkaline Electrolyzed Water on Decreasing Inflammation and Oxidative Stress, and Increasing Quality of Life in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: A Community Based Randomized Controlled Trial
Research hubs: Type 2 Diabetes · Metabolic Syndrome · Endocrine System · Cardiovascular System
- Evidence type
- Randomized controlled trial · Human study
- Authors
- Yohanes Andy Rias, Adi Lukas Kurniawan, Ching Wen Chang, Christopher James Gordon, Hsiu Ting Tsai
- Journal
- Antioxidants
- Year
- 2020
- PMID
- 33019646
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 81
- Delivery
- Water (Electrolysis)
- Dose
- 2 L/day of alkaline electrolyzed water for 8 weeks
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Funding
- Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST) (103-2314-B-040-005-MY3); Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST) (106-2314-B-038-013-MY3)
- Conflicts of interest
- None declared
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 29 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Taiwan
TL;DR
Drinking alkaline electrolyzed water and walking regularly can help reduce inflammation and improve the quality of life for people with type 2 diabetes.
Key Finding
Combining alkaline electrolyzed water consumption with regular walking produced greater reductions in inflammation and oxidative stress markers, and greater improvements in quality of life, than either intervention alone in people with type 2 diabetes.
Summary
This study tested whether drinking alkaline electrolyzed water (water treated with electricity to increase alkalinity) combined with regular walking could reduce inflammation and oxidative stress (cellular damage) in people with type 2 diabetes. Over 8 weeks, 81 people were divided into four groups: one drank alkaline water, one walked regularly, one did both, and one made no changes. The researchers measured markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in the blood, plus quality of life. Both alkaline water and walking alone improved these markers, but the combination worked better than either alone, and all three groups improved more than the control group.
Practical Takeaway
This small 8-week study suggests that alkaline electrolyzed water may complement exercise benefits for people with type 2 diabetes, though the improvement beyond walking alone was modest. However, the study did not compare alkaline water to regular water, so it's unclear whether the alkalinity itself matters or if simply drinking more water would have similar effects. More research is needed before making this a primary diabetes management strategy.
Abstract (excerpt)
Alkaline electrolyzed water (AEW) and walking are strongly recommended for ameliorating oxidative stress and inflammation. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information on the combination of both on alleviating inflammation, oxidative stress, and improving the quality of life (QoL). We investigated…