Alkaline Water vs. Distilled Water - Which Is Best for Hydration?

W ater is indispensable. Just as important as food, it plays an essential role in keeping your body healthy and balanced, providing energy and hydration. As you have already heard in many commercials, water is life. But is any type of water good for your health? Why are so many people today replacing tap water with distilled or alkaline water? And are these alternatives a good idea?

Tap water is going through a complex filtering system before being delivered to your household. It is cleaned from sand and other impurities and then treated with chlorine to destroy viruses and microorganisms. It usually has a slightly basic pH at the end of the treatment, which is safe for the human body. Nevertheless, some people are concerned that chlorine may affect their health while others feel that tap water cannot offer them the necessary mineral intake.

It’s time to explore the alternatives and establish once for all if distilled water and high-pH water are better than tap water and if one of them is better at keeping your body hydrated than the other, so stay with us as we conduct our analysis.

Why Is Hydration Important?

A glass of water will produce effects at many levels of your organism, as it provides hydration for all the cells. Here are some of the most important reasons to drink lots of water every day:

• It keeps your body temperature under control - Your body expands the blood vessels positioned close to your skin as a heat releasing mechanism. This is why your skin seems red after intense exercise. Nevertheless, you need to be hydrated for this process to happen properly. Otherwise, the temperature around needs to get higher to trigger it, and, until this happens, you will suffer through the heat.
• It keeps your joints and muscles healthy - Water lubricates joints and keeps the cells in the muscles hydrated, allowing you to recover easily after intense effort.
• It protects your heart - Your blood volume depends on the volume of water you drink daily. If your body is dehydrated, your heart will need to work harder to pump a lower volume of blood, and you will feel it in your every-day activities, which will seem harder and more tiring.
• It prevents your mouth from getting dry - By keeping your mouth moist, it prevents bacteria growth, bad breath, and the emergence of cavities.

Why Should You Look for Alternatives to Tap Water?

Many people are concerned that the tap water in their area is not as clean and safe as it should. Whether we are talking about chemical substances that end up in the water source and contaminate it or a too high or too large amount of chlorine being used for sanitation, the news that the water has been compromised appears weeks later, sometimes months or even years. Meanwhile, water that contains lead and other toxins ends up in your organism and slowly poison you.

On the other hand, other people consider that they can obtain greater benefits by drinking water that has a more basic pH than tap water. They consider alkaline water to have a better taste and a more efficient hydration action on the organism.

While some consumers replace tap water with bottled water, whether we are talking about alkaline, distilled, or normal spring water, some have taken on their own water filtering and started producing their favorite water at home.

What is Alkaline Water?

High-pH water is either obtained from tap water via a process called ionization or can be collected from springs. What differentiates it from regular water is the pH, which, in this case, is more basic, with values of 8, 9, or even 10. A higher pH is usually conditioned by the presence of minerals like calcium and magnesium, so, this type of water is usually rich in minerals.

The Benefits of Drinking High-pH Water

• It hydrates better than regular water and lowers blood viscosity
• Some surveys demonstrated that it can reduce acid reflux
• It can deliver mineral supplements to the body if deficiencies are present
• It boosts energy and helps you sleep better

Besides the advantages from above, the companies that produce high-pH water display a long list of properties their product has. They claim that it can change body pH and cure cancer, as some studies have demonstrated that cancerous cells die in basic environments. They also claim that it can help you fight wrinkles and lose weight. Unfortunately, most of these affirmations haven’t been scientifically checked, therefore there’s not enough data to sustain them.

Potential Dangers

The biggest danger when drinking high-pH water is that it can alter your stomach’s acidity, resulting in a lower efficiency when it comes to fighting bacteria and germs. If they manage to get through the stomach, these microorganisms can cause infections of the lower digestive system. There’s a reason for which the acid in the stomach is so strong, so you should try not to mess with its pH.

What Is Distilled Water?

This type of water is purified through a method called distillation. It implies boiling the water until it turns to vapor and then turning it back to liquid through condensation. The newly-obtained water is collected in a separate recipient and is free of toxins and minerals. Distilled water is highly recommended for appliances like humidifiers, dehumidifiers, evaporative air coolers, and others as it prevents calcar deposits and prolongs the life of the devices. But you can drink it as well.

Nevertheless, first, check the advantages and the drawbacks and learn in what conditions it is recommended.

The Benefits of Drinking Distilled Water

• Most microorganisms are killed in the distillation procedure, so the risk of infections is reduced. Distilled water can be incorporated into a temporary diet for people struggling with stomach infections, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• The water is cleared of heavy toxins, so the risk of poison with lead and arsenic is close to zero.

Some users consider that consuming pure water with a neutral pH helps cleaning the organism, as the water is not leaving behind any substances, but this hypothesis has not been proven yet.

Potential Dangers

The first thing you will observe when tasing distilled water is that it has a rather flat taste, and this is one of its main disadvantages. If you don’t like the taste, you won’t drink the water. Or not drink enough of it. This will quickly lead to dehydration and metabolic problems. Plus, you will urinate less, and this can be the start of a series of urinary infections.

Distilled water contains no minerals at all, so it won’t provide you with calcium or magnesium. Nevertheless, this shouldn’t be a problem as long as you eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

On the other hand, it was accused that it may leach minerals out of the body, as it has an unstable structure and tends to attract them anywhere it finds them. But the fact is that it cannot steal minerals from your body unless they are in excess. So, it is actually helping you get rid of the calcium and magnesium that your body doesn’t need.

Alkaline or Distilled Water? Which Can Hydrate You Better?

Drinking plenty of water, in general, is enough to maintain yourself hydrated, but if you are searching for faster water absorption, you should consider replacing tap water with alkaline water. The first thing that should help you decide between it and distilled water is the taste. You will definitely drink more water if it has a good taste, and the odd, flat taste of distilled water can push you towards dehydration without you noticing it.

In fact, the only big advantage distilled water has to offer is that it is bacteria- and toxin-free. But this is not enough to make you include it in your diet. If you would opt for this option, you will need to keep an eye on your diet and make sure to always include minerals, as this type of water doesn’t contain them. Plus, if you decide to buy it bottled, even its main benefit may be altered. Its unstable structure would make it attract toxins found in the plastic bottle and, thus, become contaminated.

A study in 2016 performed on 100 people linked better hydration to the consumption of alkaline water by showing that the individuals who drank high-pH water at the end of a series of mild exercises had a lower blood viscosity than the group that drank regular water.

Moreover, water ionizers filter the water but leave all the magnesium, potassium, and calcium pass, so the water remains an important mineral source. Not to mention that the methods to obtain it are at hand and will make it cheaper than the one found bottled at the store. You can mount an under-sink ionizer and get your glass automatically filled or go for a more portable method and use alkaline water sticks to alkalinize the water wherever you go.

The Bottom Line

If you are looking to permanently replace tap water, alkaline water would be the most indicated as consuming it hasn’t been linked to serious health conditions. Nevertheless, you will want to pay attention to the pH value, as water that is too alkaline can mess with your stomach’s balance. On the other hand, you can consume distilled water occasionally, if you are feeling ill from a stomach infection. It will not add other bacteria to your stomach and will help it fight the existing ones.

The most important thing, however, is to find a water that tastes good for you as this is the best guarantee that you will drink it and stay hydrated. You can choose to mix it with a few drops of lemon juice or aromatize it with fruits and savor it or make a schedule and get the right amount every day.