Is Alkaline Water Safe for Pregnant Women?

Written by Judith Tompkins

05 December, 2018

Medical magazines are constantly talking about what pregnant women can and can’t consume. It’s common knowledge that alcohol and shellfish aren’t a good idea for pregnant women, but nobody really addresses whether alkaline water is safe or not. Most women probably don’t even know what alkaline water is, and probably haven’t tested the pH of their water lately, either.

Background

The pH scale goes from 1 to 14 with 7 being neutral. Anything less than 7 is considered acidic and anything higher than 7 is alkaline. Tap water normally lies in a range between 6.5 and 9.0 on the pH scale. Tasting your water is one way to find out if it is alkaline or acidic. If the water has a bitter taste it is most likely alkaline, whereas a sour taste indicates acidic water.

The pH scale goes from 1 to 14 with 7 being neutral.
Tasting your water is one way to find out if it is alkaline or acidic.

Why Water Is Alkaline

Negative Effects of Alkaline Water

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If you use well water, water that seeps through bedrock after it falls as rain can become alkaline. Traveling through alkaline substances like lime increases the water's pH over time. In public water systems, chemicals are often added to the water to increase the pH levels. Alkaline water is preferred because acidic water will corrode the pipes over time. As wastewater leaves houses, it is often alkaline because of all of the soaps and detergents that we add to it during use.

If you use well water, water that seeps through bedrock after it falls as rain can become alkaline.
Alkaline water is preferred because acidic water will corrode the pipes over time.

Alkaline Water is Safe

No scientific evidence exists suggests that drinking water in the alkaline range is harmful. In places where the pH levels are deliberately raised by the municipal water companies, there is no evidence to suggest that the health of the people who drink it is affected in any way.

Why It Does Not Affect Health

What pH in Water Is Too High for Human Consumption

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Alkaline water cannot noticeably change the PH of your body because your body maintains the appropriate pH naturally. For instance, as the alkaline water makes its way down to your stomach it is neutralized by stomach acid. Your urine, too, can rise in pH if necessary to help maintain your body's ideal acid-base balance.