Although “alkaline, alkalinity, and pH” are related, they all indicate different things. This article will clarify the meaning of these words and will shed light on what it means to maintain an optimal balance in order to provide our body with health, energy, and vitality.

What is the Difference Between Alkalinity and pH?

Alkalinity is defined as the resistance to change in pH in a solution. It’s measured by the concentration of bicarbonate (CaCO3) in a solution. pH, on the other hand, stands for “potential hydrogen” and is measured by the concentration of hydrogen (H2, an acid) in a solution.

The pH scale is used to measure how acidic or basic a solution is. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14:

• a pH below 7 indicates an acidic solution, with 1 indicating a highly acidic solution
• a pH equal to 7 indicates a neutral solution, it’s neither acidic nor basic
• a pH higher than 7 indicates a basic solution, with 14 indicating a highly basic solution

In the context of the pH scale, the terms “Alkaline” and “Basic” are used interchangeably. That is, both terms are used to describe a solution with a pH greater than 7.0. For the purpose of this article, we’ll use the term “Basic”, in order to avoid confusion and better understand the difference between “Basic” and “Alkalinity”.

Let’s apply these terms in nature to understand them better.

In water, the presence of minerals raises the alkalinity. So, water that comes from rivers and lakes has a high alkalinity (i.e. resistance to changes in pH). This happens because as the water flows over rocks, it picks up minerals such as magnesium and calcium that naturally raise the alkalinity.

As water flows over rocks, the absorption of minerals also increases the pH of the water to “Basic”. Water without minerals will measure both lower in pH and lower in alkalinity.

If a body of water with high alkalinity comes into contact with an acidic solution (such as acid rain), it will be more resistant to pH shifts than a body of water that doesn’t have high mineral content (and that therefore, has lower alkalinity). The pH of the water will drop, but by how much depends on the alkalinity of the water. Water with a higher alkalinity, or a higher mineral content, would experience a lesser pH shift  than water with a low alkalinity.

Alkalinity and Our Health

Now, let’s think Alkalinity and pH in the context of the human body.

Since over 70% of the human body is made up of water, it is possible to measure the pH of its various fluids. Several parts of the body have a specific pH range in which they operate to function optimally. For example, observe how different the following pH values are in specific parts of the body:

• Saliva (6.5 - 7.5 pH)
• Upper Stomach (4.05 - 6.5 pH)
• Lower Stomach (1.5 - 4.0 pH)
• Duodenum (7.0 - 8.5 pH)
• Small Intestine (4.0 - 7.0 pH)
• Large Intestine (4.0 - 7.0 pH)

Our body’s bicarbonate buffering system works very hard to maintain the right pH range in various parts of the body. When thinking about pH and our body, we don’t simply want a high pH everywhere.

That’s why drinking “Basic” “Alkaline” or “High pH” water does not necessarily mean “healthy water”. Water with a high pH must also be high in alkalinity to offer true health benefits.

Water high in alkalinity derives health benefits from its mineral content. Minerals in water help support the body’s bicarbonate buffering system during digestion to stabilize pH throughout the body, maintaining the right pH in the right place. Minerals in water also support your body’s need for minerals for hundreds of essential bodily functions.

In order to survive and thrive, our body needs to maintain the right pH in the right place, always.

When the body experiences too much acidity, it tries to compensate for this imbalance by subtracting essential minerals (calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium) from the bones, connective tissue, cartilage, and ligaments.

As a consequence, the body becomes more susceptible to fatigue, pain, allergies, sickness, and degenerative diseases. This is because the resources of our body are finite, and when we continually expose our body to acidity, the body’s natural mechanisms to maintain health can no longer keep up, rendering us more likely to get sick.

Some of the factors that cause acidity are negative emotions (anger, worry, fear, stress), alcohol, vinegar, coffee, sugar, cigarettes, animal proteins, cooked or fractionated oils, processed foods, refined carbohydrates, lack of rest and exercise, chemicals, medications, pollution, radiation, immune system reactions, and toxicity.

What we eat and drink can have a decisive impact on the optimal health of our body. By eating healthy, whole foods, and drinking mineralized alkaline water, we can look after our health proactively.

Ordinary Filters vs. Santevia Mineralized & Alkaline Filters

Water, filtered through most conventional filters measures low in alkalinity. The result of a filter that has not been optimized for health is that the water has been stripped of minerals that stabilize the water. When this water is absorbed in the body, it does not help neutralize and balance excess acidity.

Santevia filtered water is infused with calcium and magnesium. When drinking Santevia water, it’s absorbed in the body and has the ability to support the right pH in the right place with stabilizing minerals.

So, there are a couple things to consider when purchasing a water filtration system:

1. Filtration – does it filter the contaminants you care about? Chlorine, lead etc.
2. Remineralization – is the filter adding back in healthy minerals that raises both pH and alkalinity?

The Santevia MINA Alkaline Pitcher looks after both considerations. When thinking about the health benefits of water, mineralization is the key. Minerals in water have a dual benefit: they increase the pH to “Basic” (also referred to as “Alkaline”), and they naturally raise “Alkalinity” helping our bodies stay hydrated and in balance. So, when we say Santevia mineralized alkaline water, it’s implied that the water has both a raised pH and raised alkalinity, to support your optimal health and wellness.