Proponents of alkaline water claim it helps your body, experts disagree

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Alkaline water has become the new 'it' water among health conscious consumers. Proponents claim it does everything from getting rid of toxins to boosting your metabolism, and fighting diseases.

Rayne Reitnauer runs a doggie daycare and does what she can to stay healthy, including drinking alkaline water.

"I'm using it more to help balance against the more acidic drinks and foods I'm eating and drinking."

That's just one advantage proponents claim you get by drinking alkaline water. The water has minerals added to it, increasing its PH levels compared to that of typical tap water.

"Most waters tend to fall in the neutral PH category, anywhere from six to seven. An alkaline water is water that has a PH of seven or higher," said Alissa Rumsey, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Rumsey explained that proponents believe a higher PH level in the water you drink is better for your body. Claiming it can do things like fight cancer, or other diseases, or improve your metabolism. She and many others disagree.

"While there's anecdotal evidence, there's really no scientific evidence that alkaline water is going to do everything that it says it does. I do think that for certain people in certain circumstances, it might be ok, and it's certainly not going to hurt most people. But, you know, until we really have more research, I think you should just save your money and just stick to tap water."

Rumsey said most of us are typically in the right range without the alkaline addition.

"Our bodies do a really good job of keeping our blood PH in a very tight range, no matter what you're eating or drinking."

So how did this specialized water become the drink of choice? Rumsey said celebrities made the alkaline water trendy but bottled water companies are making it more prevalent.

"I think that people are always kind of looking for something that's gonna rid your bodies of toxins, or help to do all these kind of magical things. And the proponents of alkaline water really sell it, and they really say it's going to boost your metabolism, it's going to help you lose weight, it's going to help cure all these diseases."

Reitnauer said she likes the taste better than water from the tap, and she has all the proof she needs that it works for her.

"The biggest test for me is when we go out of town and we're relying on the other water if we come back home and notice we're back to drinking our jugs of alkaline water and just feel better."

Health experts said anything that gets you drinking more water is a good thing. The only population that has to watch out for alkaline water is people who have kidney disease or kidney issues. Because in that case, the kidney isn't able to rid the minerals from the body.