Alkaline water is defined as water with a potential of hydrogen (pH) level above 7, with most commercial products ranging between 8 and 9. A pH measurement indicates how acidic or basic a substance is, with 7 being neutral. Internal parasites are organisms that live within a host, including single-celled protozoa, such as Giardia, and multicellular worms, known as helminths, like tapeworms. These organisms can cause infection in the human body, often residing in the intestinal tract. The claim that consuming alkaline water can eradicate these internal parasites suggests that the water’s higher pH level creates a lethal environment for the organisms. This article investigates that specific biological claim by examining the known physiology of both the parasites and the human digestive system.
How Parasites Respond to Environmental pH
Internal parasites thrive in the complex biological environments of the body. The human small intestine, where many helminths and protozoa reside, maintains a slightly basic environment to facilitate digestion, with a pH that can reach approximately 8.3. Furthermore, the human bloodstream, which some parasites inhabit, is tightly regulated at a pH of 7.35 to 7.45. These internal conditions are naturally neutral or slightly alkaline, meaning the parasites are well-adapted to surviving in a non-acidic setting.
The pH of consumer alkaline water, typically between 8 and 9, represents only a minimal shift from the body’s natural internal conditions. For a substance to be generally toxic to biological life, it must be at a far more extreme pH, such as a pH of 1 or 12 or higher. The modest increase in alkalinity provided by the water is simply not an environmental stressor that would prove lethal to the highly adapted parasites.
What Happens to Alkaline Water After Ingestion
The human stomach maintains an extremely acidic environment, primarily through the secretion of hydrochloric acid (HCl), with a typical pH ranging between 1.5 and 3.5. This acidity serves two main purposes: it begins the process of protein digestion, and it sterilizes ingested food and drink, killing most bacteria and pathogens. This highly acidic gastric fluid represents the body’s primary defense against ingested organisms, including parasites.
When alkaline water is consumed, it immediately enters this acidic stomach environment, triggering a powerful physiological reaction. The stomach detects the rise in pH caused by the alkaline water and responds by secreting an increased amount of hydrochloric acid. This process, known as the buffering effect, rapidly neutralizes the alkaline water. The water quickly loses its alkaline property, reverting the stomach contents back to their necessary acidic state. The neutralization process ensures that the water is no longer alkaline by the time it empties into the small intestine, where most intestinal parasites reside. The body’s homeostatic mechanisms negate the alkaline effect of the water before it can encounter the parasites deeper in the digestive tract.
Clinical Evidence and Proven Parasite Treatments
There is no credible scientific or clinical evidence supporting the consumption of alkaline water as an effective treatment or preventative measure against human parasitic infections. No randomized controlled trials or peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated that alkaline water can eliminate protozoa or helminths in humans. While some laboratory studies have explored the effect of highly modified water, such as electrolyzed oxidizing water, on certain parasites, these findings do not apply to the consumer-grade alkaline water. The medical community relies on specific pharmaceutical agents to treat parasitic infections, which target the organisms through precise biochemical mechanisms.
Helminth Treatments
For helminths, or parasitic worms, treatments include anthelmintic drugs like albendazole and mebendazole. These drugs work by interfering with the worm’s ability to absorb glucose or by disrupting the formation of cellular microtubules. Another drug, praziquantel, is used to treat tapeworms and flukes by causing muscle contractions and paralysis in the organism.
Protozoan Treatments
Protozoan infections, caused by single-celled organisms like Giardia and Cryptosporidium, require antiprotozoal drugs. Medications such as metronidazole and tinidazole are commonly prescribed for infections like giardiasis and amebiasis, working by damaging the parasite’s DNA or interfering with its metabolic pathways. Anyone suspecting a parasitic infection must seek a medical diagnosis to identify the specific organism and receive a targeted, evidence-based treatment regimen.