Sri Vijaya Puram, Dec. 30: Nowadays, the trend of drinking alkaline water is rapidly gaining popularity. Due to all the information oating on social media, this kind of herd mentality is being seen among people. Diseases like cancer are caused in the acidic environment of the body. This information has created a competition among people that consuming alkaline water will protect them from diseases like cancer.

While the truth is that articial changes in the pH of the body can give rise to serious problems. Drinking too much alkaline water can make you sick.

Eminent scientist Dr. Ajai Kumar Sonkar said that drinking too much alkaline water can disrupt the production of natural acid in your stomach, which can cause indigestion, stomach ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems.

Alkaline water with a pH of more than 10 can damage the skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Also, excessive alkaline water consumption can lead to metabolic alkalosis, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, tremors, numbness and confusion. In severe cases, metabolic alkalosis can lead to restlessness, seizures and coma.

He said drinking a gallon of alkaline water every day could cause your body to produce more gastric juices and digestive enzymes, which could be a problem for people with kidney disease.

In 2020, an outbreak of liver disease was reported in people who drank a certain brand of alkaline water. Symptoms included nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, lethargy, confusion and jaundice. Alkaline water has a pH of 8 or 9, while pure natural water has a pH of 7. The idea is that drinking alkaline water induces extra acidity in the body.

The body naturally balances blood pH, so trying to change it with alkaline water could have health implications, the scientist said.

The pH of stomach uids is usually between 1.5 and 3.5, which is acidic. The stomach's acidic environment is created by gastric juices, which contain hydrochloric acid (HCl). This excessive pH level helps break down proteins and peptides into amino acids for absorption. It also kills harmful microbes that are ingested with food.

Padma Shri Dr Ajai said that while drinking natural alkaline water is generally considered safe, there is not enough scientic evidence to support its use of articial alkaline water as a treatment for any health condition. You should be cautious about articial alkaline water, which may contain contaminants and low quality of minerals due to its unnatural pH.