What are the main characteristics of alkaline water that make it good for your health?
The answer we gave over many years was a negative ORP or Oxidation Reduction Potential.
We no longer say this, but it’s important to understand ORP before you can understand why we don’t say it anymore.
What is ORP?
And how can it help you?
When we see a piece of iron rusting, or a slice of apple turning brown, we are looking at examples of relatively slow oxidation. When we look at a fire, we are witnessing an example of rapid oxidation.
Oxidation involves an exchange of electrons between two atoms. The atom that loses an electron in the process is said to be “oxidized.”
The one that gains an electron is said to be “reduced.”
Picking up that extra electron causes it to lose the electrical energy that makes it “hungry” for more electrons. Thus we get the terms Oxidation (losing an electron) and Reduction (gaining an electron) Potential.
The potential of a given substance to take or give electrons is very important.
If you consistently drink water with a high positive ORP or Oxidation Reduction Potential, the water will have a tendency to steal electrons from the other atoms in your body, oxidizing your other atoms. (Remember the examples above of iron rusting and an apple turning brown). Basically, that is what water with a high ORP will do to you.
Examples of drinks with high positive ORP are coffee, soda, bottled water, Gatorade Powerade, and almost every drink sold at stores. Even tap water has a high ORP even though it is required by law to have a neutral pH level.
We previously believed that if you consistently drink water with a high negative ORP or Oxidation Reduction Potential, the water will have a tendency to leave electrons with atoms in your body that are in need of them. The water would basically reduce the atoms that are missing electrons so that those atoms and molecules do not oxidize your body.
What we now know, with the help of the Molecular Hydrogen Institute, is that the active ingredient in AlkaWay water is molecular hydrogen (H2). There are now 1000+ studies of H2 including over 170 disease condition-specific studies. To learn more, we suggest immersing yourself in the Molecular Hydrogen Foundation’s website which has an excellent section, entitled Molecular Hydrogen for Dummies.
We are proud of the work our team has already achieved on molecular hydrogen and its application using our products. We are constantly updating our knowledge and invite you to join our mailing list.
Just in case you still don’t think we’ve got it right, here’s a paper from Randy Sharpe, founder, of H2 Sciences, on ORP and what it does – and does not – mean.
Download it here
