Post: Alkaline Water Claims: Is It Really Better for Detoxing?

Drinking some sort of "special" water in the morning seems to be a central theme to many wellness gurus’ morning routines, and one that is regularly featured is alkaline water, which many have associated with a number of supposed health benefits.

Some claims include that alkaline water detoxes the body, aids in digestion, improves hydration more than regular water, boosts weight loss, reduces inflammation, reduces acid reflux, reduces bloating, balances hormones and improves energy levels.

For example, TikTok user @giannagfit is seen drinking warm alkaline water first thing in the morning in a video captioned: "Adding these three daily habits to your morning routine will help support your gut health and hormones!"

She said she drank 32 ounces of the water on an empty stomach, adding a combination of electrolytes, pink Himalayan salt, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar to warm water. She claims that the concoction helped with hydration, restoring fluid balance, digestion and releasing toxins.

Typically, influencers either drink bottled alkaline water or make it themselves by adding some combination of salt, baking soda, lemon and lime to warm water—but dietitian Christine Byrne, owner of Ruby Oak Nutrition in Raleigh, North Carolina, told Newsweek that we might as well stick to water.

"While most tap water has a pH of about 7.5, alkaline bottled water has a higher, more alkaline pH of between eight and nine," said Byrne. "In a nutshell, the thinking is that the higher pH of the water will raise the pH of various bodily fluids when you drink it—although this hasn’t been proven."

But adding lemon or lime—or a health food such as apple cider vinegar—to water do not make it more alkaline, she said.

"They do the exact opposite and make it more acidic," said Byrne. "The pH of both apple cider vinegar and lemon is usually two to three, so adding it to normal water will lower the pH, not raise it.

"If someone recommends adding lemon juice to alkaline water, they’re really taking you for a ride because you’ll probably end up with more acidic water than what you’d get if you drank from your tap. Plus, the […]

Alkaline Water Claims: Is It Really Better for Detoxing?