Drinking alkaline water may not prevent kidney stones: Study

Bottled water marketed as alkaline water is unlikely to be an effective alternative for prevention of recurrent urinary stones reports a studyAlkaline water sometimes called high pH water is an increasingly popular category of bottled water Compared to tap water with a typical pH around 75 alkaline water is manufactured to have a higher more alkaline pH in the range of 8 to 10Consumption and sales of alkaline water have increased sharply in recent years Proponents claim various health benefits including improved hydration and increased urinary pHRaising pH is a key strategy to prevent formation of certain types of urinary stones uric acid or cystine in patients with previous stonesPotassium citrate tablets are commonly prescribed to prevent recurrent stones However many patients do not follow recommended treatment often related to the need to take large pills several times per day If alkaline water could raise urinary pH it might be an attractive alternative for stone preventionHowever the study published in the The Journal of Urology said that alkaline water cannot be an alternative to prescription drugs for stone preventionWhile alkaline water products have a higher pH than regular water they have a negligible alkali content which suggests that they cant raise urine pH enough to affect the development of kidney and other urinary stones said Roshan M Patel from University of California IrvineTo assess the potential for high pH water to prevent urinary stones Dr Patels team measured the pH of five commercially available alkaline water products They also reviewed published data on other types of drinks and overthecounter products with the potential to raise urinary pHThe five brands tested in the study had a similar pH in a narrow range around 10 One product contained a small amount of citrate which was not listed on the product label Otherwise the tested alkaline waters had no organic anions that can be metabolised to alkali by the body as supplied by potassium citrate tabletsAt a pH of 10 the tested products would have an alkali content of just 01 milliequivalent per litre mEqL Thats a trivial concentration compared to the bodys typical metabolic acid production of 40 to 100 mEqL per day the researchers saidIn contrast some other commercially available products do have the potential to increase pH notably including orange juice with an alkali content of up to 15 mEqL Orange juice also has the lowest estimated cost to achieve the target alkali concentration of 30 mEq per dayBaking soda was among the most effective and costefficient alternatives although with potential concerns related to sodium content Newer products dissolvable in water also appeared to provide useful and affordable optionsOur findings may help to guide the selection of other treatments including beverages and overthecounter products for preventing recurrent urinary stones Dr Patel said The researchers note the limitations of their laboratory study and emphasise the need for clinical trials of the options for raising urinary pHThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever