Is ionized water healthy or is it nonsense?

There are various ways to treat water. One of these is so-called ionization , which is said to have various positive effects on human health (including the healing of serious illnesses). This article examines whether this is true and whether there are actually any positive effects.

What is ionized water?

Ionized water is produced by water ionizers. These alter the water in such a way that the pH value is increased, thus moving it into the alkaline range, creating so-called alkaline ionized water. Salts are added to the water to enable a current to flow (electrolysis). While acidic oxidative water is produced at the positive electrode, alkaline water is obtained at the negative electrode, using energy.

Manufacturers and devices

Devices that carry out this ionization process can basically be divided into two types:

• Two-chamber ionizer : The water is held without pressure in two chambers separated by a semipermeable membrane. One chamber contains the positive electrode, the other the negative electrode.
• Flow-through water ionizer : The water is passed under pressure into two separate chambers.

There are ionizers that treat larger quantities, as well as sticks and water bottles that ionize smaller quantities of water.

Water ionization devices are relatively common, especially in the US, but are also readily available online here. Devices are available from various manufacturers, ranging in price from €150 to several thousand euros.

Health effects

According to manufacturers, water treated with an ionizing device is not harmful and, unlike conventional water, can prevent the development of diseases. However, this claim cannot be proven by extensive research results or supported by further theoretical literature. Since there is no scientifically proven effect, all the following claimed effects are based on user experience.

Alkaline ionized water is said to be able to counteract over-acidification of the body. Drinking ionized alkaline (pH-adjusted) water is said to lower the body's pH. The absolute highlight: super-ionized water is even said to have the following positive health benefits:

• Encapsulation of harmful bacteria and microbes
• Cleaning blood vessels
• Increase in oxygen content in the blood
• Conversion of blood lipids into harmless oil
• Elimination of organ blockages
• Cure for diabetes and cancer
• Dissolution of kidney stones

However, health benefits have not yet been scientifically proven.

The criticisms: Why are ionizers controversial

Ionized water is a product that has emerged primarily through alternative medicine and is heavily criticized, especially by modern science in the fields of chemistry and physiology. There is no scientifically proven effect, and the explanations for the supposedly positive effects are not entirely clear. Considering that the alkaline water comes into contact with acidic stomach acid in the stomach, any positive effect is questionable for this reason alone. Ionizers are also often sold through multi-level marketing systems. This means that sales take place through unannounced home visits, generating substantial profits for the sellers. This practice is rightly being questioned.

Conclusion: Are there therefore only disadvantages?

Perhaps the greatest benefit of consuming ionized water is the so-called placebo effect. If you believe in the effectiveness of water ionization, it may actually have positive health effects. The disadvantage, however, is that an actual effect as described has not yet been proven. This is quite common in alternative medicine. While water filtration systems verifiably remove contaminants, the use of ionization is still a matter of belief.