Alkaline Water!?!?

When I did the Waxhaw 5K back in April there was vendor selling an Alkaline water machine. I was holding a free bottle of water that I received from another race vendor and the Alkaline water folks asked me if I wanted to get my water tested. I obliged and handed them my bottle. They put some kind of chemical in the water and lo and behold it turned a sort of purple color and they told me it was as acidic as Gatorade.  They then replaced my acidic water with their alkaline water which they claimed would make me feel lighter and will absorb into my cells faster than the acidic water. So I tried it, ran my 5K and as usual, and I felt no different than I usually do.

If you are not familiar with the terms acidic and alkaline, it refers to pH.  A pH of 7 is considered balanced.  Anything over 7 is alkaline and under 7 is acidic.  Most processed foods and carbonated beverages are acidic and a diet that consists mainly of highly acidic foods, like the typical American fast food diet, will lead to health problems.  The alkaline water people claim their water will detoxify your body and, of course, make you healthy.  This article, written by Dr. Ben Kim explains all about pH and how the body processes acidic and alkaline foods.


This isn't the first time I have seen these water machines and I have been wondering if there is any real science behind them.  This link gives you the science and debunks the claims made by these alkaline water vendors...
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html

I am sure there are plenty of people who claim these machines work.  As the author of the last link states, the placebo effect likely plays a big role.  My explanation is that anyone who starts drinking alkaline water is likely to start eating a healthier diet with less processed foods and more healthy whole foods and also likely start exercising.  These changes result in improved health and vitality.  In this scenario can you truly claim the machine works?