The Science Behind Kangen Water

There’s a lot of science that is involved in the magic of this water. Let me break some of it down for you.

First let’s take a closer look into the ionizer that produces Kangen Water®.

Just like the picture below shows, the K8 can hook up to any faucet and convert tap water into electrolyzed-reduced water (ERW). This process happens by first filtering out impurities and then undergoing the process of electrolysis by passing through the platinum-dipped titanium plates in the electrolysis chamber.

As a result, acidic and alkaline water of various pH ranges can be made from this machine.

But let’s go over what pH means.

pH, or power of hydrogen, ranges from a scale of 1-14. pH 1 being highly acidic and pH 14 being highly alkaline. The K8 produces up to 7 different levels of pH, each with different purposes (pH 2.5, pH 6.0, pH 7.0, pH 8.5, pH 9.0, pH 9.5 and pH 11.5). Kangen drinking Water® falls between pH 8.5 - 9.5. The K8 produces up to 7 different levels of pH each with different purposes. You can learn more about the uses here. Now let’s dive in to some Kangen Water® and all of its benefits.

Kangen Water is alkalized… not alkaline.

Wait, what’s the difference?

Well alkaline water uses a chemical process to convert water to a greater pH, while alkalized water uses an electrical process— electrolysis. It is the same as if a lightening bolt hit a large body of water. It would electrically split the water molecules into hydrogen, oxygen, and hydroxide allowing for a shift in pH. Hydrogen itself feeds the cell membranes and nervous system, oxygen feeds the mitochondria helping produce energy, and hydroxides assist in detoxification of the body. But we will go more into this later.

Alkalized water retains its alkalinity for a maximum of 48 hours. After, it returns to a neutral pH 7.0. This is why companies often use chemicals like sodium bicarbonate to artificially retain a pH above 7.0 for an extended period of time. However this can lead to detrimental effects to the body such as mineral content building up in the kidneys and cardiovascular system like the heart. Alkaline water is also typically found in plastic bottles, which is another story. Regardless of the type of water in the bottle, chemicals from the plastic seep into the water simply when sitting around for a long time, not to mention when they’re in the sun or warm temperatures. Therefore, it is recommended to drink Kangen Water® fresh, within 4 hours of it being dispensed.

So the bottom line is:

alkaline water is NOT Kangen Water but electrolyzed-reduced water IS Kangen Water.

Below is an image showing various liquids along a pH scale, as well as the pH in which diseases develop or mitigate.

As we mentioned before, alkalized water has active particles. Drinking this has many benefits on the body. Let’s understand why.

Molecular hydrogen has the ability to improve health from its antioxidant properties.

Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical substance in the universe. It is the smallest element on the periodic table, consisting of one proton and one electron. Bound together as H-H, it becomes what is called molecular hydrogen (H2). Because of its size, molecular hydrogen easily penetrates cell membranes, accessing parts of the cell that other antioxidants cannot reach. Molecular hydrogen reduces oxidative damage by improving cell signaling. This alleviates DNA damage and other damage to the cells, preventing numerous diseases. Molecular hydrogen has a short half life, so continuing to consume it through Kangan Water® is an effective way to benefit from this powerful antioxidant. Other means of obtaining molecular hydrogen would be much more constrictive.

Let’s get into what antioxidants are, but before we do that we need a bit of information about free radicals.

Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage cells. We are exposed to free radicals daily, from household chemicals, stress, alcohol, bottled water, pesticides, cigarette smoke, and environmental and other pollutants. When a build up of free radicals occurs within the body, oxidative stress is created. To illustrate oxidative stress, imagine a cut apple set aside for a few hours. When you return, the open halves turn brown. This is due to the interior of the apple being exposed to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is what leads to the degeneration of our cells and chronic inflammation, which in turn can lead to a bunch of diseases including diabetes, asthma, arthritis, kidney disease, heart disease, cancer, neurological disorders, and psoriasis. Antioxidants, or anti-oxidizing agents, help the body neutralize these free radicals.

So molecular hydrogen neutralizes free radicals by creating an alkaline buffer.

There are numerous scientific studies that show the positive effects of molecular hydrogen on the body— alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation. Click here to find research papers regarding the effects of hydrogen on various organs in the body.

Let’s go over a bit about anti-oxidative properties.

Antioxidants aid the body in neutralizing and removing free radicals from the bloodstream. Kangen Water® provides high quantity antioxidants for the body to neutralize free radicals that are present beyond the blood-brain barrier.

So to put simply, less free radicals and more antioxidants makes a happier and healthier you.

Antioxidants are measured by ORP. The more negative the ORP is, the greater the alkalinity, therefore the greater antioxidant it is. Let me explain a bit of this.

Because Kangen Water has rich antioxidant properties, it also has negative ORP.

So what is this ORP?

Also known as oxidation reduction potential, ORP measures an aqueous system's capacity to release or accept electrons from chemical reactions. When a system tends to accept electrons (adding more negative charges to a molecule), it is an oxidizing system. Therefore the lower the ORP, the better it is at eliminating free radicals, toxins, and other waste build-up. Remember, it does not tell us the amount of molecular hydrogen present; it only tells the potential to reduce (or oxidize).

The human body naturally produces both free radicals and antioxidants, but free radicals often outnumber the naturally occurring antioxidants. Consuming products with a negative ORP aids in prevention of disease and has huge anti-aging effects.

Since molecular hydrogen is a very powerful antioxidant, it counteracts oxidizing effects in the body. For example, you would need to consume 5 pounds of blueberries in order to get the same antioxidant benefits as two glasses of Kangen Water®. Here’s a picture comparing more sources of ORPs.

Alright, so there you have it. Some clarity behind the magic of Kangan Water®. And in case that went way over your head and you need a visual, here’s a video that goes over the benefits:

Thank you for taking the time to read through this and I hope it helped simplify things for you.

Here are some next steps you can take:

• If you’re eager to gain more scientific knowledge about ERW and the effects on the body, I suggest checking out pubmed where you can find numerous studies.

• If you would like to read about how the K8 promotes sustainability, click here.

• If you’re ready to invest in your own Kangen Water® ionizer, click here.

• If you would like to learn how to get involved in Enagic®’s business plan, join my training platform, and potentially work with me, click here.