As the countdown to the Double Eleven shopping festival approaches, the sales battle for drinking water is intensifying. The alkaline water, which gained popularity due to its ability to regulate the body's acid-base balance, has once again seen a surge in sales. So, can long-term consumption of this water really achieve the health benefits advertised by businesses? Professor Shen Lirong from the School of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science at Zhejiang University stated in an interview with Science and Technology Daily that the alkaline water currently available for sale is mainly divided into three categories: artificial soda water mixed with baking soda powder, weakly alkaline water produced by electrolysis process, and natural weakly alkaline water with pH values between 7.0 and 9.0. Among them, baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is a weakly alkaline water made by dissolving it in water, essentially an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate. Electrolyte alkaline water is made weakly alkaline through electrolysis technology. Natural weakly alkaline water is a naturally formed weakly alkaline water containing alkaline minerals such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, etc. Artificial soda water usually has an obvious alkaline taste in the mouth. Some manufacturers will improve the taste by adding sweeteners and eating essence, which belongs to food and beverage rather than drinking water. Regarding the statement that alkaline water can neutralize stomach acid and lower uric acid, Shen Lirong clearly stated that discussing these effects cannot be separated from the key premise of dosage. In clinical practice, when patients with gastroesophageal reflux take potent antacids mainly composed of sodium bicarbonate, they need to consume about 1.5 grams of sodium bicarbonate per day to achieve the desired effect of neutralizing stomach acid. If relying on weakly alkaline water with a sodium bicarbonate content of 0.1 g/L to achieve the same effect, patients would need to drink at least 15 liters per day, which is obviously difficult to achieve in reality. In addition, drinking moderate amounts of water can promote the excretion of uric acid, which does not necessarily require drinking alkaline water to achieve. At present, alkaline water has not been included in the relevant national drinking water standard documents like natural drinking water, mineral water, purified water, and other categories. ”Shen Lirong said that more importantly, the health benefits of alkaline water claimed by businesses lack verifiable scientific evidence and are essentially marketing concepts fabricated by businesses to attract consumers. Shen Lirong added that if pH value is used as the judgment standard, natural drinking water in many regions of China and tap water in some northern regions are inherently weak alkaline, belonging to natural weak alkaline water. Consumers do not need to spend a high price to purchase alkaline water. From a scientific perspective, alkaline water is no different from regular drinking water. Zhu Jincheng, a registered nutritionist in the Clinical Nutrition Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, further analyzed that the marketing of alkaline water actually exploits the "health anxiety" of contemporary people. Relevant businesses directly equate products with health to stimulate consumer demand for purchase. He does not recommend ordinary people to drink alkaline water for a long time because most alkaline water has a high sodium content, and long-term consumption may increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. The "acid-base constitution theory" is a pseudoscience introduced by Shen Lirong. In the past decade, rumors about alkaline water have been repeatedly debunked by authoritative experts, and some companies have been punished for exaggerating the health benefits of alkaline water. However, alkaline water has not yet fallen from the "altar", and the reason behind this can be traced back to the "acid-base constitution theory". In 2002, American Robert O. Yang proposed the pseudoscientific theory of "acid-base constitution". This theory simply divides the human body constitution into acidic and alkaline, believing that acidic constitution is prone to illness, while alkaline constitution is healthier, and advocating improving constitution by eating alkaline foods. This theory has long been proven false by the scientific community, and Robert O. Yang was ultimately awarded $105 million in compensation by the court for implementing "alkaline therapy" on cancer patients, causing them to miss the treatment opportunity. However, due to previous extensive promotion, many people still firmly believe that alkaline constitution is healthier. In the field of nutrition, there is indeed a classification system that categorizes food as acidic or alkaline. ”Zhu Jincheng explained that the criterion for this classification is the composition of the ash after food combustion: if the ash is rich in elements such as phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, etc., which dissolve in water to form an acidic solution, then this type of food is classified as acidic food; If the ash is mainly composed of elements such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, etc., which dissolve in water to form an alkaline solution, then this type of food is classified as alkaline food. However, this classification method is only used to analyze the chemical composition of food and does not mean that food will directly alter the body's acid-base balance. The human body has a sophisticated regulatory system that can stabilize the pH values of blood, gastric juice, and urine at 7.35 to 7.45, 1.0 to 2.0, and 5.0 to 7.0, respectively, without significant fluctuations due to the consumption of acidic or alkaline foods. Zhu Jincheng further supplements that any food entering the human body needs to go through processes such as digestion, absorption, and metabolism to ensure that the pH value of the body remains stable. The claim in the market that "long-term consumption of alkaline water can improve acidic constitution" is not supported by reliable medical research evidence. Plain water is the best choice for drinking water. The key to drinking water is to ensure sufficient intake and reliable water quality, rather than pursuing some unproven health function, and acidity and alkalinity are not the core indicators for measuring water quality. ”Zhu Jincheng said that according to China's "Sanitary Standards for Drinking Water", the pH range of drinking water is 6.5 to 8.5. Within this range, whether it is weakly acidic water or weakly alkaline water, as long as all indicators meet safety standards, it can be safely consumed. From the perspective of health and cost-effectiveness, Zhu Jincheng believes that plain water is the best choice for drinking water. Boiling treated plain water can achieve a clean and sterile effect, while also retaining the minerals in the water, and is cost-effective. Under mild climate conditions, according to the "Chinese Dietary Guidelines for Residents", the recommended daily water intake for adult males is 1700 milliliters, and for females it is 1500 milliliters. Drinking water should follow the principle of "small amount multiple times" to avoid waiting until thirsty to replenish water. Shen Lirong added that there are differences in preferences for water quality components and drinking water taste among different groups of people, and they can choose according to their own needs. For example, people who want to supplement more minerals can choose mineral water. He specifically reminds those preparing for pregnancy or pregnant women not to blindly believe in false claims such as "alkaline water can relieve morning sickness" or "drinking it can give birth to a son", in order to avoid long-term adverse effects on the body due to improper consumption. With the advancement of science popularization work and the increase of regulatory efforts, alkaline water merchants are no longer directly labeling so-called health functions on product labels or detail pages as in the past. However, they still indirectly imply that the product is beneficial to health through 'brushing the edge', thereby raising the selling price. ”Shen Lirong said that relevant departments need to continue to popularize scientific knowledge of drinking water and help the public establish correct health concepts. (New Society)