No scientific evidence has proven that drinking alkaline ionized water can prevent or treat cancer.
Recently, the Central Tropical Hospital in Hanoi admitted a 41-year-old man in critical condition, severely malnourished and emaciated. The patient had previously been drinking 10 liters of alkaline ionized water mixed with salt daily to detoxify his body for 18 days, resulting in a weight loss of 10 kg, muscle atrophy, and elevated liver enzymes.
Many in Critical Condition
According to family members, the patient had a history of chronic bronchitis. Seeking alternative treatment, he was advised by a folk healer to drink alkaline ionized water mixed with salt for detoxification to become healthier. After 18 days of following this regimen without any food intake, he developed a high fever and cough with a lot of phlegm, leading to extreme fatigue. Despite being urgently transferred to two medical facilities, his condition did not improve, prompting the family to take him to the Central Tropical Hospital.
Upon examination, test results showed that his blood protein levels were dangerously low, indicating muscle atrophy and a loss of subcutaneous fat, along with significantly weakened muscles and liver enzyme levels nearly five times the normal range. Doctors diagnosed him with dengue fever, pneumonia, and severe exhaustion on a background of chronic bronchitis. Fortunately, he was brought to the hospital in time; if he had continued drinking alkaline ionized water without consuming food, his chances of death would have been very high.
The properties of alkaline ionized water are exaggerated, especially in treating serious diseases.
Another case involving alkaline ionized water ended tragically with a 47-year-old man suffering from advanced stomach cancer. This individual refused hospital treatment and opted to drink alkaline water at home, leading to severe malnutrition and death just three weeks later. According to Dr. Ha Hai Nam, Deputy Head of the Abdominal Surgery Department at K Hospital in Hanoi, the patient was inoperable due to the tumor’s extensive spread. The doctor advised chemotherapy to improve his condition and prolong his life. However, the patient declined treatment, insisting on drinking alkaline water to boost his immunity, lose weight, stabilize blood pressure, detoxify, and shrink the tumor, all while fasting to starve the cancer cells. “This was a choice based on the patient’s belief, making it very hard to persuade him otherwise,” Dr. Nam stated.
According to cancer experts, the human body naturally stabilizes ion levels within certain limits. These primarily include sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate, and the body maintains a state of acid-base balance with a pH between 7.35 and 7.45. For cancer patients, it is crucial to understand that the tumor environment is acidic (due to hypoxia, excessive sugar metabolism, and lactate production). This creates an extremely cramped and high-density environment for cancer cells, which become what can be described as “acid monsters.” This toxic environment makes it challenging for immune cells to access and attack cancer cells, rendering antibody activity almost paralyzed. However, the overall body remains in a state of acid-base equilibrium; if the body becomes too acidic or too alkaline, it may lead to a medical emergency.
Mythologizing Without Scientific Basis
Our investigation reveals that recently, many people have been spreading the word about the benefits of alkaline ionized water. Numerous imported alkaline ionized water filtration products are being marketed online, priced from tens to hundreds of millions of Vietnamese Dong. This is a significant amount of money, yet many families are willing to invest. The reason is the advertising of these products as creating a “precious water” that cannot be found in regular water, offering various benefits such as: enhanced health, digestive support; extremely strong antioxidant properties that slow aging and neutralize free radicals that cause chronic diseases; fat reduction and detoxification at a cellular level; promoting strong bones and beautiful skin… With such advertising, combined with the exaggerated claims about alkaline ionized water’s ability to treat serious diseases, including cancer, many people have come to believe that drinking alkaline ionized water can cure all ailments.
Many experts argue that bottled alkaline ionized water contains an important component, electrolytes, which are beneficial for the body but are not a substitute for medicine. This type of water cannot replace medical treatment. Cancer patients, often in despair, have a mindset of “when sick, try everything,” leading them to seek unorthodox treatment methods, where they are given hope of “curing cancer.” Following unscientific treatment methods such as fasting, drinking alkaline ionized water, and avoiding conventional medicine not only weakens the body’s immune response and accelerates cancer cell growth but also misses the critical window for effective cancer treatment.
Dr. Vo Duc Linh from the Intensive Care Department at the Central Tropical Hospital stated that there is no scientific basis for drinking alkaline ionized water, and it cannot replace medical treatment. Long-term consumption in large quantities may alter the body’s normal pH levels, leading to metabolic alkalosis and symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms, and tremors. Combining alkaline water consumption with fasting can severely deplete the body, worsening infection conditions and complicating treatment. Many believe that alkaline water can help neutralize excess acidity in the body or that consuming alkaline-rich foods can alkalize the blood and prevent tumors. “However, to date, no studies have confirmed that simply drinking alkaline water can treat stomach cancer or other cancers. Fasting only further weakens the immune system, hastening depletion and death,” Dr. Linh advised.
“Instead of believing that drinking alkaline ionized water can prevent or cure cancer, one should lead a scientific lifestyle, limit alcohol and tobacco, be proactive in disease prevention, and consume foods with clear origins and expiration dates… Treatment must be guided by professional medical advice,” emphasized one expert.
Self-Balancing Mechanism
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, there is currently no research indicating that drinking alkaline water can prevent or treat cancer. The human body has a natural mechanism to balance the acidity and alkalinity of the blood. For instance, the body expels carbon dioxide during respiration to adjust blood pH. The kidneys also secrete ions to help stabilize blood pH. Therefore, many doctors and experts do not support the use of alkaline water for preventing or treating cancer as some advertisements suggest.
