Does much hyped alkaline electrolyzed water provide health benefits? A systematic review and narrative synthesis

Document Type : Review article

Authors
Tejus Anantharamu 1
R Vishnuprasad 2
Sharmila Sinha 3
D Santhanalakshmi 4
Sapna Pradhan 5
Fadil Salmani 5
1 Regional Centre, ECHS Ranchi, Jodhpur, India
2 Station Health Organisation, Jodhpur, Maharashtra, India
3 Department of Pharmacology, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India
4 Department of Physiology, Sri Venkateswaraa Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Chennai, India
5 Department of Pharmacology, Army College of Medical Sciences, Delhi Cantt, India
10.4103/ijehe.ijehe_12_22
Abstract
Alkaline electrolyzed water (AEW) usually has a pH value ranging from of 8 to 10, and is postulated to produce many health benefits. Alkaline water consumption still invites a lot of controversy among health professionals and researchers. There were no comprehensive large-scale studies till date that compared the effects of AEW across various disease states targeting multiple system changes as outcomes. The present literature review was carried out to collate all the available clinical research works on Alkaline Water or AEW in improving disease state or promoting health. Search in various databases and search engines brought out 19 articles, of which nine met the eligibility criteria and were included for the analysis in the present study. The risk of bias and quality for every study included in the study were assessed. For all the randomized trials included in the study bias assessment was carried out using the Cochrane Risk-of-bias tool, and nonrandomized trials were assessed using nonrandomized studies of interventions tool. Reviewed studies have reported effects of AEW on oxidative stress, gastric cancer, blood sugar levels, exercise performance, blood viscosity, and gastrointestinal symptoms. AEW has shown considerable positive health effects in small-scale clinical studies. However, presently available evidence from the research works are not sufficient enough for recommendation to the mass in general or for use as a therapeutic intervention. Research works with larger study samples and among population of different demography are required.

Keywords

International Journal of Environmental Health Engineering (IJEHE)
Volume 2022, November
Autumn 2022
Pages 1-10

  • Receive Date 16 March 2022
  • Revise Date 01 August 2022
  • Accept Date 08 August 2022