Health
Can alkaline water actually improve your health? Experts separate fact from fiction
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Alkaline water has entered the conversation as an arguable alternative to regular drinking water.
Numerous celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston, have touted alkaline water in brand campaigns — but is there a real benefit? Experts report that the science is uncertain.
Bottled water that’s sold as alkaline water may have added minerals like calcium and magnesium, which help the water reach an alkaline pH, according to Mayo Clinic. A pH of 7 is neutral, while a level greater than 7 is alkaline and less than 7 is acidic.
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Plain tap water has a lower pH than alkaline water, which has led some to claim that drinking alkaline water can neutralize acidity in the body.
There have also been claims that alkaline water can help prevent certain health conditions, like cancer and stroke, Mayo Clinic mentioned. Some studies have also shown that alkaline water may help slow bone loss, perhaps due to the added calcium.
Bottled water that’s sold as alkaline water may have added minerals like calcium and magnesium, which help the water reach an alkaline pH, according to Mayo Clinic. (iStock)
Other research suggests that alkaline water combined with a plant-based Mediterranean diet may help relieve acid reflux. Several studies have suggested that alkaline water alone could improve symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
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Mayo Clinic stressed that more research is necessary to support these claims and to confirm whether these benefits continue over time.
In a Harvard Medical School publication, Howard E. LeWine, MD, chief medical editor of Harvard Health Publishing, confirmed that benefits potentially exist, but only temporarily.
Any benefits of alkaline water are temporary, according to an expert from Harvard Health. (iStock)
“Because the fluid in the stomach is so acidic, once regular or alkaline water gets down to your stomach, there will be little difference in the resulting stomach fluid pH,” he wrote.
“You could potentially raise the stomach fluid pH by drinking a lot of alkaline water, but it would only be temporary. Even if you drank enough alkaline water to slightly raise the pH of your blood, your kidneys would quickly go into action to rebalance your blood pH.”
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As an example, alkaline water may provide heartburn relief from acid reflux, but the effects would not be long-lasting. LeWine considered that there are “much more effective options,” such as antacids.
The doctor warned that drinking alkaline water could be dangerous for people who take PPIs, or stomach acid production blockers.
Experts warn that drinking alkaline water may raise pH to dangerous levels. (iStock)
Mayo Clinic added that alkaline water has been linked to safety concerns, especially when the water’s pH is higher than 9.8. This can lead to high levels of potassium in the blood, a condition known as hyperkalemia.
LeWine expressed the same concern that alkaline water “might result in an increased blood pH, which can alter the normal blood levels of chemicals like potassium, especially [for people with] kidney disease.”
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, certified holistic nutritionist Robin DeCicco confirmed that there is “no strong evidence” that alkaline water provides “meaningful long-term health benefits.”
Lowering acidity in the body is “really about foundational healthy habits at the end of the day,” a nutritionist said. (iStock)
While infusing the water with minerals can be beneficial for reducing acidity in the body, the best way to do so is by following “foundational” dietary habits, according to the expert.
This includes eating meals based in real foods and eliminating excess sugar, caffeine, processed and fried foods, as they can “aggravate acidity in the body,” she said.
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“Vegetables, fruit, good fats, like the omega-3 fats, lean protein, fiber — those are the things that really help to keep acid out of the body,” DeCicco added.
For those who have acid reflux complications, she recommends seeing a doctor and adopting helpful habits like eating consistently throughout the day, not lying down after eating and avoiding highly acidic foods.
Health
Switching from cigarettes to vapes linked to higher risk of major eye diseases, large study finds
US cigarette smoking drops to record low, vaping and nicotine pouch use surges
Fox News medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel discusses a New England Journal of Medicine study reporting US adult cigarette smoking rates dropped to a record low of 9.9% in 2024. Siegel warns about the addictive nature of vaping and nicotine pouches, which contain high levels of nicotine. He expresses concern over potential GI tract and heart issues, stressing social media’s role in promoting these products to younger generations.
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Switching from cigarettes to electronic vapes is often seen as a healthier move, but a massive nationwide study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology suggests that smokeless alternatives could increase the risk of serious eye diseases compared to quitting nicotine altogether.
Researchers from the Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, analyzed health data from a group of 179,273 adults through the Korean National Health Insurance Service, according to a press release.
All participants had smoked traditional cigarettes between 2011 and 2012 and then quit smoking by 2018 or 2019, they reported.
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To ensure a fair comparison, the researchers paired up participants who shared similar backgrounds, including their age, gender, medical history, existing health conditions and general lifestyle habits.
Switching from cigarettes to electronic vapes is often seen as a healthier move, but a large study suggests it could pose a risk to eye health. (iStock)
This process created a balanced group of 32,316 matched participants, who were divided into two categories: complete quitters who stopped using all nicotine products and those who transitioned to smokeless nicotine products, such as vapes.
The researchers followed the participants for an average of 4.6 years to determine whether they developed eye conditions, including cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and focus-related eyesight disorders.
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Over the tracking period, the group experienced a total of 6,328 major eye disease events. People who quit nicotine entirely had the lowest disease rate in the study, at 41.1 cases per 1,000 person-years (a measure that accounts for both the number of people in the study and how long they were followed).
In comparison, that rate rose to 44 cases for individuals who had switched over to smokeless alternatives like vapes.
The people included in the study were divided into two main categories: complete quitters who stopped using all nicotine products, and switchers who transitioned to smokeless tobacco or nicotine products, like vapes. (iStock)
Ultimately, the data showed that switching to alternative nicotine products carried a steady 7% increased risk of serious eye diseases compared to quitting nicotine completely.
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Most notably, those who switched faced a 24% higher risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, a condition that damages the blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
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Additionally, those who ditched cigarettes for vapes had a 7% higher risk of developing refractive and accommodation disorders, which affect the eye’s ability to focus clearly.
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“These findings challenge the assumption that substituting noncombustible nicotine or tobacco products for conventional cigarettes is visually harmless,” the researchers noted.
“These findings challenge the assumption that substituting noncombustible nicotine or tobacco products for conventional cigarettes is visually harmless,” the researchers noted. (iStock)
The authors did point out a few limitations of the research. Because this was a study looking back at health insurance data, it cannot definitively prove that vaping directly causes eye damage.
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Additionally, the study relied on people filling out questionnaires about their own smoking and vaping habits, which can sometimes lead to underreporting or simple memory errors.
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Still, the researchers concluded the findings suggest that replacing cigarettes with alternative nicotine products may not eliminate the risk of certain eye diseases.
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The latest COVID-19 vaccine (2024-2025) has been linked to fewer serious heart-related events among U.S. veterans.
New research confirmed a small reduction in COVID-related cardiovascular events, or COVID-19-associated MACE, due to the vaccine.
MACE (major adverse cardiovascular events) is a composite measure of serious heart-related outcomes. It typically includes cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke, and may also include hospitalization for heart failure.
VACCINES FOR FLU AND COVID: SHOULD YOU GET BOTH AT THE SAME TIME?
Using health records from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the researchers compared two groups of veterans — one that received the COVID and flu vaccine on the same day (nearly 350,000 people) and another group that received only the flu vaccine (nearly 700,000 people).
For people older than 75, vaccine effectiveness against COVID-associated MACE was 50.7%. (iStock)
Out of more than one million veterans studied, the average age was about 70 and 92% were male, according to a press release.
Within about eight months, the results showed that those who received the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine had a lower risk of COVID-associated major cardiovascular events, with a relative vaccine effectiveness of 37.7%.
The COVID vaccine was linked to a 57.9% lower risk of cardiovascular death, 38.5% lower risk of heart attack and 41.9% lower risk of hospitalization for heart failure, the researchers stated. The result for stroke was not statistically significant.
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The benefit was greatest among adults ages 75 and older and those with underlying health conditions. In people over 75, the vaccine was 50.7% effective at preventing COVID-associated MACE.
As the study was observational, it could not prove cause and effect between the COVID-19 vaccine and lower risk of cardiovascular events, but only highlighted an association.
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Dr. Glenn Hirsch, cardiologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, called these results “not overall surprising” in an interview with Fox News Digital.
After eight months, those who received the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine had a lower risk of COVID-associated major cardiovascular events. (iStock)
“This result is consistent with previous studies of the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines against infectious diseases [in] preventing cardiovascular events, including heart attack, cardiovascular cause of death or hospitalizations,” he said.
Acute inflammation in the body from infections like COVID-19 increases the risk of cardiovascular events and can cause further complications, according to the doctor.
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“This can lead to a higher risk of blood clotting, but can also make arterial plaques susceptible to rupture, which then leads to clot formation to heal a ruptured plaque,” he said. “This clotting can cause a near-total or complete occlusion of an artery, leading to these cardiovascular events.”
“Vaccines either prevent infection or reduce the severity of infection and subsequent inflammation, lowering the cardiovascular risk.”
Acute inflammation in the body from infections like COVID-19 can increase the risk of cardiovascular events, the study suggests. (iStock)
Despite the positive outcome, the overall benefit of the vaccine in this study was less than in previous studies, according to Hirsch, who was not involved in the research.
This could be due to the lower severity of illness seen in more recent COVID-19 variants, as well as immunity from prior infections among unvaccinated people, he noted. There has also been a decline in COVID testing, making it more difficult to link cardiovascular events to the virus.
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“The bottom line [is] that there is still evidence of benefit from COVID-19 vaccination like many other infectious disease vaccinations, and people should be encouraged to discuss these with their healthcare team annually,” Hirsch advised.
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“This is an observational trial and there can always be some confounding after necessary statistical adjustments and other potential benefits or harms, including adverse effects from vaccines that were not investigated in this study,” he added.
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