In the past few years, alkaline water has been promoted among people as an alternative to promote and maintain good health.
Kidneys perform a number of functions in the body. The most common function we know is blood purification and removal of toxins and excess water from the body in the form of urine. However, a lesser known but equally important function is maintaining acid-base balance in the body. When kidney disease begins, acid builds up in the body. This leads to weakness, and muscle atrophy and kidney function deteriorates rapidly.
Diet plays an important role in slowing the progression of kidney disease. One of the established treatments by which we can slow down kidney disease and extend kidney life is to use sodium bicarbonate supplements or what is commonly known as baking soda.
There are well-conducted research trials that have concluded that if you give small amounts of sodium bicarbonate to patients with chronic kidney disease, it improves kidney function and extends kidney life.
Also, there are many studies that show that if patients with chronic kidney disease eat a vegetarian diet, the kidney function lasts much longer and the kidney function slows down compared to patients who eat a vegetarian diet. The main reason is that a vegetarian diet is alkaline in nature while a carnivore diet is more acid producing.
What is alkaline water?
Alkaline water refers to neutralizing the acid levels in the body, which normal water cannot do. Alkaline water is water that has been ionized, which means that the pH level of the water has increased. The pH level of water is about 8 or 9 and the pH level of normal tap water is 7, which is neutral. Alkaline water is believed to help people with excess acidity as it neutralizes acids in the body due to its alkaline nature.
Is Alkaline Water Beneficial for Kidneys?
In the past few years, alkaline water has been promoted among people as an alternative to promote and maintain good health. Alkaline water can be good for your kidneys because it raises the pH of urine, which reduces the acid load that your kidneys need to excrete like sodium bicarbonate.
However, to date, there are no good human research studies on the use of alkaline water in patients with chronic kidney disease. There are some animal studies, in dogs, where alkaline water was used in hemodialysis. It was shown that acid-base retention was better in these animals compared to the control group that consumed normal water.
Scientific trials on the use of saline water in patients with chronic kidney disease need to be conducted so that we know how much water is needed to correct acidosis in patients with chronic kidney disease. Also, these patients need to be monitored by specialists as excessively alkaline ph can cause electrolyte disturbances. So at present, there is a lack of scientific data to recommend regular use of alkaline water in patients with kidney disease and more scientific research is needed.
(With inputs from Dr. Sanjeev Gulati President Elect Indian Society of Nephrology Principal Director of Nephrology and Kidney Transplant, Fortis Escorts, Okhla Road, New Delhi)
