Gary Brecka – The Alkaline Water Myth

Gary Brecka is a human biologist and biohacker who has worked with leading athletes to optimize their health and performance. He’s also a health consultant to the stars and has drastically improved the health of an array of celebrities. Brecka believes that alkaline water is not the best type of water to drink contrary to popular belief. But why does he think alkaline water is a myth and what type of water does he drink instead?

The Myth About Alkaline Water

In recent years alkaline water has been pushed as a type of water that is responsible for numerous health benefits. Alkaline water has a higher pH than standard tap water and many advocates have claimed that it can neutralize acid in your stomach and bloodstream and help to get rid of serious disease. There is in fact, very little scientific evidence to support these claims. Gary Brecka states: “There’s a fallacy that drinking alkaline water will make you alkaline. That is not true.”

The biohacker explains that alkaline water can’t maintain its alkaline properties as it is processed in the body. He says: “In molecular chemistry something can’t donate it’s properties and also maintain them.”

Brecka believes that “alkaline water is not going to change the pH of your blood” and scientific studies back up this point of view. A 2016 study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that drinking alkaline water with a pH of 8.8 did not significantly impact the pH of blood in healthy adults. A similar study in the Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology in 2012 also found that this particular type of water had very little effect on blood and urine pH levels.

It is now widely accepted that drinking alkaline water can temporarily alter the pH levels of stomach acid and urine, but these levels quickly return to what they were before the water was ingested. The pH of our blood is not altered due to the body’s natural buffering system that regulates pH levels. Alkaline water does not permanently donate its alkaline properties to the body or maintain them once it’s metabolized.

Gary Brecka is highly critical of certain parts of the health industry pushing sales of alkaline water, with little to no science to back the claims. He states that “alkaline water is the biggest marketing myth ever sold to the public.”

What is the Best Type of Water to Drink?

According to scientific studies and Gary Brecka hydrogen water is the best type of water to drink in terms of the health benefits it provides. Brecka himself has a filtration system fitted in his kitchen which removes chlorine, fluoride and other contaminants from his tap water. It also adds in hydrogen ions to hydrogenate the water. The biohacker also takes a hydrogen water bottle with him when he’s on the move. Similarly, this discharges hydrogen ions into any water that is put into the water bottle.

Taking with Joe Rogan on his podcast, Brecka said: “It’s bullsh#t that alkaline water will change the pH of your blood. That’s complete nonsense. I think the best type of water you can put into the human body is hydrogen water by a landslide.”

Unlike with alkaline water, there is masses of study data that support the health claims that hydrogen water provides. The biohacker says: “There are about 1,400 peer review clinical studies on hydrogen water. More than any other type of water on the planet. There’s a whole class of bacteria in your guy called hydrophiles. You can actually increase the absorption of all your nutrients and supplements by drinking hydrogen water.”

Studies on Hydrogen Water

Hydrogen water has an array of health benefits which are supported by hundreds, if not, thousands of scientific studies. Both Gary Brecka and neuroscientist Andrew Huberman have been blown away by results from studies on this type of water in recent years. Brecka explains: “I’ve read some of the big studies on Parkinson’s, inflammation, auto-immune issues. It is scary the positive impact that it’s had.”

Various scientific studies provide evidence that regularly drinking hydrogen water can improve the following health issues: