More confusing and full of controversy than most any food or supplement is the issue with respect to what’s the healthiest water to drink.

If the same basic rules which apply to food (eating more traditional diets as opposed to the modern processed diets), then one would surmise the same applies to drinking water. Conclusion: the water that is natural to the planet or closest to that found in nature would be the most healthy to drink as this informative site points out: http://phbalance.wikispaces.com/Natural+Water+BEST

Or is it?

The alkaline (ionized) water manufacturers (e.g., the overpriced $4000 Kangen [Enagin] ionizer) and their proponents would have us believe otherwise, and that such water is the “water of the future.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_ionizer
http://ionza.co.nz/resource-centre/water-ionizer-wikipedia
http://www.detoxifynow.com/snake_oil.html

The alkaline water theory stems from the same idea of the “acid-alkaline” theory of disease and health with regard to foods (eating mostly acid-producing foods = disease; eating more alkaline-producing foods = optimal health). Again, and as with many areas involving holistic modalities, there is much controversy between the alternative movement and conventional medicine thus setting the basis for the same skepticism with respect to alkaline water:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline_diet
http://articlesofhealth.blogspot.com/2006/11/acidalkaline-theory-of-disease.html
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/alkalinediet.htm
http://www.thewolfeclinic.com/acidalkfoods.html

I, myself, have been a drinker of alkaline water for many years now (using an ionizer as good as the Kangen [Enagic] brand but at half the price), formerly having drank steam distilled water for many years prior until I experienced problems with drinking a water devoid of naturally-occurring minerals and the acidity it had caused. I’ve also experimented with various “high-end” bottled waters purported to have an increased alkaline pH. I still have not concluded for myself, at least, whether drinking alkaline water at a pH above 8 is healthful on a daily basis – or whether it could be possibly detrimental.

What I have concluded is that distilled water as well as RO (reverse osmosis) are definitely NOT the drinking waters of choice for long-term consumption and should only be used in short (two week max) cleansing or detox cycles. Like processed foods devoid of naturally-occurring nutrients, so are these processed, manipulated and extreme versions of water. They are NOT what’s found in nature.

The alkaline water crowd, however, claims their water is akin to that natural mountain spring or even glacial waters you’ve find at extreme high altitudes with a similar pH and ORP (oxygen reduction potential) – and that the ORP is one other important benefits touted by the alkaline water promoters:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Alkaline-Water-and-Oxidation-Reduction-Potential-%28ORP%29&id=1546765
http://glowing-health.com/science-and-myths/snake-oil-part2.html
http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/waterforlife.htm

An interesting issue that comes to mind: Does high pH alkalinity of ionized water interfere with low pH acidity of the stomach and should you drink pH-enhanced water only certain times of the day (i.e., when not eating/digesting time) – or should it really matter?

The proponents of the water say absolutely not, and in fact purport that the stomach’s feedback mechanism actually produces MORE acidity to compensate for increased alkalinity. They further state that such increased stomach activity will then increase the sodium bicarbonate in the bloodstream. Other proponents state that the pH is so negligible, it doesn’t affect stomach pH.

http://shop.snyderhealth.com/article_info.php?articles_id=26
http://www.detoxifynow.com/snake_oil.html
http://glowing-health.com/science-and-myths/snake-oil-part2.html

So, bottom line, which is it, and where’s the hard scientific evidence? Amidst the jungle of the 99% lay person websites regarding ionized alkaline water, I haven’t found much of anything to support the claims. But that also doesn’t necessarily cancel out possible benefits as we have seen with many other holistic treatments.

Then there’s other side of the coin – just a fraction of the anti-alkaline water sites (not quite as many as the pro):
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/gallery.html

Of course one could just resort to the real thing. Glacial water IS supposedly the Rolls Royce of bottled drinking water and does happen to be naturally alkaline with reported pH levels in excess of 8.0:

http://www.akaliwater.com/science.php
http://www.icelandicglacial.com/facts/why-icelandic-glacial/

In closing, it would seem that there has to be something to the healthfulness of drinking alkaline water since it apparently DOES occur in pristine naturally-produced water in remote regions of the planet, however, can we be certain that the altered water that comes from a machine is just as beneficial and more importantly, does not interfere or tamper with our delicate physiology?

As you can see, I have done a bit of research and yet remain overwhelmed at the infinite magnitude of pro and con on something as seemingly simple as H20.