CHARLOTTE, N.C. — You can find cases of bottled water stacked on the shelves in your local grocery store – and in recent years some new kinds – making all types of health claims – have come onto the market.
But can water really help you avoid stomach issues, even cancer?
From the keto diet to intermittent fasting to even the J. Lo challenge, there’s always some new buzzed-about way to get healthy.
"This is a big trend right now," says David Loman, a nutrition coach at Lifetime Athletic. He’s talking about water, more specifically bottled water, even more specifically, water with different pH levels.
"Your body is naturally at 7.4 so it doesn’t make any sense to drink anything outside that range," Loman said.
But some claim water with higher alkaline levels can help with heartburn, prevent cancer and slow the aging process.
Connor Gregg insists it's helping him.
"For the last two years I’ve been drinking alkaline water regularly, and I can easily tell the difference. Once I started drinking high pH water, my acid reflux went away," he said.
"It's hard to say that water is responsible for it because that’s a very small change," said Brian Cooper, chemistry professor at UNC Charlotte.
We worked with him to see the science behind it all and test it. Cooper mixed chemicals together, creating what is essentially stomach acid, then mixed it with the different waters to see the interaction.
"The claims about pH, I don’t believe they claim a pH 7.4 is somehow healthier. I don’t buy it," Cooper told us.
"Your body has multiple systems that regulate the pH of your blood. It will do that regardless of what kind of water you drink," he said. "Your body is going to do the work no matter what."
But the founder of Charlotte-based Diamond Creek Water, that boasts a pH level of 9.5, and on the bottle claims to reduce inflammation and acid toxins told us, "I have thousands and thousands of people testimonials that say it helps with inflammation, hydration, and acid reflux."
Loman said he just wants everyone to drink more water. Period.
"The average American is dehydrated: Alcohol, stimulants, caffeine, coffee, alcohol. I just want them to be drinking water, in general."
The Mayo Clinic said while some studies suggest these alkaline waters can help with everything from acid reflux to preventing diseases, there needs to be more research to verify these claims.