Have you heard the hype about alkaline water? It’s the hydration sensation first kicked off by the best-selling book “The pH Miracle.” From cancer to joint problems to belly fat, author Robert O. Young promises that alkaline water is the cure for what ails you. Dig a little deeper and the claims around alkaline water - and so-called “doctor” Young’s credentials - quickly fall apart.
First, a little science lesson: The human body must maintain a blood pH balance within a very narrow range. Any deviation from this and our body would not be able to perform the metabolic reactions needed to sustain life. In short, we would become very sick, very quickly.
Proponents of alkaline water believe that the typical North American diet causes the body to become acidic (it doesn’t). And that this can be easily countered by sipping on alkaline water (it can’t). Suffice to say that if food or fluid could meaningfully impact blood pH, we’d all be spending a great deal of time in the emergency room.
Some scientists have, nonetheless, investigated the health claims of alkaline water. To date, none have proven to be true.
As for Young, he’s since admitted to having no college or university education and in 2017 was convicted and sentenced to 3 years in prison for practicing medicine without a license.
Out take? It might look like water, but all we see is bullsh*t.
