What is Kangen Water: Everything You Need to Know!

Recently, I saw an interview related to healthy living that truly shocked me. A nutritionist was asking a couple of youths about how they stayed hydrated during the day. They responded that they did it by consuming 8-12 cans of diet soda a day. No water! Needless to say, they had major weight and health issues. Yet, the idea of giving up soda in the name of health seemed to be completely foreign to them.

Personally, I believe our bodies need hydration that comes from drinking water, not just any type of liquid. But with so many water options around us, is any kind of water good for you? I have already expressed my opinion about the health benefits of smart water, vitamin water, bottled water, distilled water, spring water, alkaline water, and filtered water. But what about Kangen Water?

In this post, we will talk about Kangen Water: what it is, how it works, its usage, benefits and side-effects, and whether it is worth it. This will help you make an informed decision about choosing the right water for your daily hydration. 

What Is Kangen Water?

To begin, the idea of Kangen Water stands on the concept of acidity vs alkalinity. Specifically, the acidic environment in your body leads to health decline whereas an alkaline environment promotes health. Since the level of acidity or alkalinity largely depends on what we choose to eat and drink, one of the ways to change the acidic environment to alkaline is to drink alkaline water.  

To clarify, on a pH scale from 0 to 14, zero is “the most acidic,” and 14 is “the most alkaline.” While the pH level of pure water is 7, making it neutral, the pH levels of Kangen drinking water range from 8.5 to 9.5, making it alkaline. Hypothetically, it boosts detoxification and works to restore the body to a more alkaline state. This explains its name “Kangen” which means “return to origin” in Japanese.

Kangen water is made through electrolysis, a common method of producing hydrogen gas. In general terms, this water belongs in the category of ionized water but is also sometimes referred to as:

• alkaline ionized water
• electrically reduced water
• electrolyzed reduced water
• electrolyzed water
• hydrogen water, or
• electrolytically reduced hydrogen rich water.

How Does Kangen Water Work?

For starters, Kangen Water is typically made in a Kangen water machine provided by a Japanese company called “Enagic.” It is a manufacturing, sales, and service company of alkaline ionizers and water filtration machines, founded by Hironari Oshiro in 1974.

First, your tap water runs through a water filter that removes impurities but does not strip the water of its healthful minerals (unlike reverse osmosis machines).

Then, the filtered water flows to a water ionizer where it receives an electric charge from the electrodes and separates into alkaline and acidic components.

Additionally, the process of electrolysis creates a negative oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) that gives the water its antioxidant properties and the ability to neutralize free radicals in the body.

Plus, electrolysis breaks down the large clusters of water molecules and turns them into smaller clusters, which makes Kangen Water highly absorbable.

On top of that, electrolysis enriches the water with molecular hydrogen; hence, one of the names for Kangen Water is “hydrogen water.” In fact, there is scientific opinion that molecular hydrogen is the exclusive agent with health benefits in the electrolytically reduced hydrogen rich water, not so much its negative ORP, an alkaline pH, or a reduced oxygen gas concentration.

What Is Kangen Water Used For?

First off, the Kangen water machine makes several types of water of different pH levels on a pH scale ranging from 0 to 14. Depending on its degree of acidity or alkalinity, Kangen water can serve various purposes:

• Strong Acidic Water (pH 2.7 and lower): cleaning and sanitizing, commercial operation, and hygiene.
• Beauty Water (slightly acidic water with pH 5.5-6): beauty care, rinse cycle, washing vegetables and fruit etc.
• Clean Water (pH 7.0): medication and baby food.
• Kangen Drinking Water (pH 8.5-9.5): hydration and minerals, some food preparation, coffee and tea, etc.
• Strong Kangen Water (pH 11.5 and higher): cleaning produce, food preparation, cleaning grime, stain removal, and dishes.

Kangen Water Benefits

According to the Kangen Water company, the health benefits of their electrolytically reduced hydrogen rich water follow from its properties, namely:

• Antioxidant: effective for detoxification by flushing harmful toxins and disarming free radicals.
• Rich in hydrogen: successful in a wide range of preventive and therapeutic applications.
• Alkalized: restores your body to a more alkaline state, increases energy levels, offering increased hydration and improving the body’s response to gastrointestinal diseases; produced by running electricity through the water that restructures the water molecules, not by means of adding chemicals.
• Highly absorbable: has smaller clusters of water molecules thanks to electrolysis, which facilitates quick and easy distribution of nutrients throughout the body.
• Silky smooth: has a pleasant taste due to filtration and a silky-smooth texture due to alkalization.

Kangen Water Side-Effects

First, the Kangen Water company warns that at the beginning, alkaline water may produce the “Mengen Effect” – a negative reaction to positive changes. For instance, you may experience constipation or diarrhea, considered to be a natural physical response of the body adjusting to something new.

Second, some holistic medicine practitioners, including a chiropractor named Dr. Berg, believe that because alkalinity neutralizes stomach acid, it may result in the following side effects:

• increased risk of gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections
• vitamin and mineral deficiency
• malabsorption of fat and proteins (and hence, digestive issues, such as bloating, diarrhea, stomach pains, and gas)
• dysbiosis (overgrowth of harmful bacteria), and
• hyperkalemia (which is why people with kidney damage must avoid drinking ionized alkaline water).

Ultimately, it is crucial to consult with your doctor before you start drinking electrically reduced water (ERW). Plus, it is important to measure the concentration of hydrogen in the water from time to time because it may be well below therapeutic levels. Also, one should be careful not to drink ERW with a pH level of 9.8 or higher (source). 

Is Kangen Water Worth It?

The question of whether Kangen Water is worth it is legitimate. Indeed, the price tag on a Kangen Water machine starts at $4000. Before you decide to make such an investment, please know the following.

To start with, there are scientists who debunk potential health benefits of alkaline ionized water. Thus, they state that “such claims violate basic principles of chemistry and physiology” and that “there is no medical evidence for any health benefits of alkaline water” (source). In addition, they debate the effectiveness of the process of electrolysis because, reportedly, it requires significant amounts of time and power. Therefore, the amount of hydroxide generated in a fast-moving stream of tap water would be minimal.

Also, the opponents of Kangen Water say that thanks to kidneys that balance the acid levels in your body, it can keep its pH levels by itself. If your blood gets too acidic, your body brings it down by breathing out more carbon dioxide. Moreover, the gastric juices in your stomach neutralize the food and drinks; hence, they will re-acidify alkaline water before it can do anything potentially therapeutic in your body (source).

Summary: Is Kangen Water A Solution For You?

While Drinking Water Is Important, Ultimate Health Comes From A Combination Of Factors, Including Reducing Toxic Exposures, Diet, And Mind And Body Exercise.

In this post, we have discussed Kangen Water: what it is, how it works, its usage, potential benefits and side-effects, and whether it is worth it. 

As for me, I believe that hydration is super important and affects your body immensely! I have noticed how different I feel when I drink my water regularly and when I forget to do it. The lack of water in my body produces mood swings, back pain, headaches, and an unpleasant sensation in general. Personally, I drink clean water filtered by a potent filtration system and believe that water filtered the right way is enough for you to stay hydrated.

It is possible that the “miraculous” effects of Kangen Water are due to the fact that users start drinking water regularly in the first place, as opposed to not drinking any water before or doing it inconsistently. Therefore, before you decide to purchase a Kangen Water machine (for $4000), consider installing an effective water filter in your house first (the one I use is around $700).

Read my blog post to help you select The Best Water Filter System (where I discuss reverse osmosis systems, too). You can also turn to clean water professionals that will help you find the best filter for your home.

Make sure to check out my other posts on water, including smart water, vitamin water, bottled water, distilled water, spring water, alkaline water, and filtered water. Browse the I Read Labels For You blog and shop for non-toxic products on our website. Also, remember to download our e-books and book a service if you need help on your healthy living journey!

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