Kangen Water Machine: What to Consider Before Buying
Kangen water machines are all the rage right now. At least, it is for those who can afford it. It’s touted as the “best drinking water” by several celebrities and athletes, and of course, it’ll cost you a hefty portion of your rent.
Here’s What You Should Consider Before Investing in a Kangen
How does the source water affect the performance of a water ionizer?
A water ionizer's effectiveness is influenced by the source water's hardness and pH levels. Medium-hard water tends to ionize more easily than extremely soft or hard water. Source water pH also impacts ionization; lower pH levels might require more effort to reach higher ionization levels.
For optimal performance:
- Source water below 60 ppm hardness benefits from Soft Water guidance.
- Water over 150 ppm hardness benefits from Hard Water advice.
- For water softened or treated by reverse osmosis, specific guidance is available.
Understanding these factors helps fine-tune a water ionizer's performance based on your water's characteristics.
It's important to note that Alkaline & Purified are NOT the same
All Kangen water filtration machines really do is make the water more alkaline, that’s it.
The only machines that do both (purify and keep the water alkaline) are, at a minimum, 3-stage filtration systems. Any other machine cannot do this (at least sufficiently).
Are Kangen water machines safe and effective?
The reason why Kangen water ionizer has been attracting so much attention is that it’s essentially alkalized water and there’s this notion out there that when you drink alkaline water it is better than regular drinking water.
When you read about Kangen water machines or speak with Kangen salespeople, you’ll see and hear A LOT about the damage that free radicals do to your body on a cellular level and how antioxidants can combat that damage.
Powerful antioxidant machine
The Kangen water ionizer isn’t just alkalized; it is a “powerful antioxidant machine” that heightens the antioxidant production potential via electrolysis surface area plates and improves water ionization. It also has a water pressure regulating function, an industry-leading cleaning system & four solid electrode plates. At least, that’s the claim, among other things.
So, does Kangen water live up to the hype and where exactly do these antioxidants come from?
Keep reading to find out.
What Does a Kangen Water Machine Do?
Kangen water ionization machines are designed and produced by a company called Enagic. The word Kangen actually means “return to origin” in Japanese, and the company claims that the alkaline water these machines produce can help restore the body to its original, alkaline state.
Alkalize the body
Proponents of Kangen water claim that not only does this water alkalize the body, but it can prevent disease, detoxify us, and slow down the aging process.
Changes the pH balance of your tap water
The Kangen water machine works by utilizing plates & a water pressure regulating function changing the pH balance of your drinking water by essentially running your water across metal plates (electrolysis surface area) to create purified water& ionized water. The process is called electrolysis which technically ionizes and therefore alkalizes the acidic water.
Alkaline water
The Kangen water devices are also said to purify your acidic water by simply using solid electrode plates thus increasing antioxidant production potential. As for the antioxidants, the claim here is that Kangen water contains a large quantity of negatively charged ions that act as antioxidants.
The Kangen water machine can also purposely produce slightly acidic water.
The Truth About Kangen Water Machines Claims
Here’s the thing about Kangen alkaline water machine claims: The above would be true IF:
- All free radicals had a positive charge and all antioxidants had a negative charge
- The pH level of your body was governed by external forces and not your kidneys and lungs
Our bodies require a pH level between 7.3 and 7.4 to survive. Once again, it’s our lungs and kidneys that take care of maintaining this pH level in our blood through their detoxification processes.
Understanding How Alkalinization Really Works
The rationale behind the claims of drinking alkaline water and even eating an alkaline diet is contingent on the fact that these alkaline substances lighten the load for the kidneys, in particular, to help us detox more efficiently.
However, the foods we eat and the water we drink have no “say” in what our blood’s pH level will be. The only effects water and food have on the body is referred to as the potential renal acid load (PRAL). The PRAL determines the number of acids and alkalis produced from what we eat and drink, but only to help the kidneys determine what gets eliminated and what gets synthesized.
Antioxidants Claims Are A Bit Misleading
The Kangen water antioxidant claim is also quite a stretch. While there are a few antioxidants that are negatively charged, the overwhelming majority of them are neutral. Additionally, positively charged free radicals are not biologically common. Therefore, negative ions don’t do what you think they do.
Essentially, any positive health benefits you hear about negative ions have more to do with neutralizing air pollution and provoking a positive biochemical reaction by increasing serotonin levels. Drinking them won’t offer you any “antioxidant effects.”
So, while alkalized water produced by water ionizers like the Kangen water systems may help neutralize stomach acid, it won’t do much for the rest of your body because water’s job is to hydrate and help us flush out toxins. It’s also an excellent neutral 7.0 on the pH scale, which makes sense considering the amount we should drink daily.
No Real Evidence To Back-Up Claims
There’s also no real medical evidence, i.e., empirical and controlled studies that can back up the Kangen water claims made by Enagic. The FDA has even rejected certain health claims made by alkaline water companies.
There is also a cost component to this. So, let's compare the cost of bottled water to ionized water.
When comparing the cost of bottled water to ionized water, it's important to consider the benefits each provides. While bottled water, including alkaline water, may seem convenient, it falls short in delivering the advantages offered by a water ionizer. Additionally, it's worth examining the financial aspect. Purchasing water one bottle at a time may seem like a cost-effective approach, but it becomes evident that the money spent on bottled water could easily fund the purchase of a water ionizer or reverse osmosis within a year or two at the most. Hence, not only does buying bottled water become inconvenient, but it's also more costly in the long run.
Why Your First Priority Should Be a Reverse Osmosis MicroMax 8500 Purification System:
When you invest in a filtration system, like the MicroMax 8500 by Puronics, it’s guaranteed that you’ll be getting the purest and freshest water possible.
This is because it uses a special semi-permeable membrane to filter out all the nasty contaminants on a micron level, turning your faucet water into the purest water possible. That includes fluoride and other toxic chemical byproducts that Kangen water machines don’t filter out.
Removes 99% of Toxins & Adds Good Minerals
In addition to offering the best means of water filtration, the MicroMax 8500, in particular, has an extra stage that remineralizes your water to bring it back to its most natural form—minus all the toxic contaminants found in regular faucet water.
That’s what we call a return to origin.
Should I get a Kangen if I already have a water softener or reverse osmosis system?
Whether you should get a Kangen water system depends on your specific needs and preferences. Kangen water machines produce alkaline water through a process called electrolysis, which separates water into acidic and alkaline components.
If you already have a water softener or reverse osmosis (RO) system, these systems serve different purposes:
-
Water Softener: Softeners primarily remove minerals like calcium and magnesium, reducing water hardness. They don't change the pH level of the water.
-
Reverse Osmosis System: RO systems are designed to remove impurities, contaminants, and particles from water, providing high-quality drinking water. However, they also tend to make water slightly acidic due to the removal of minerals.
A Kangen machine, on the other hand, creates alkaline water by ionizing it. Some people believe alkaline water offers health benefits, but scientific evidence supporting these claims is limited.
The Goodfor Company Approved!
Here at the GoodFor Company, we believe in products that are backed by science, thoroughly tested, and are good for your health as well as the planet. We also believe in full transparency. That means you get all the details on any products we endorse including what they’re made of, how they function, and much more.
So don't invest in a Kangen water machine just yet until you know the quality of your water is pure first! and check out the Puronics’ water filtration products we offer and stand by!
- Tags: review
9 comments
-
Alice on
I like what am learning and I want to be more knowledgeable about kangen water machine.
-
Edwin Sehlabaka on
How much in Rands can a kangen water machine cost in Soth Africa?
-
Kathryn on
I appreciate learning from this article. Just one tweak: We just had a reverse osmosis system salesman come check the chlorine levels in our water, including our Kangen machine. He found ZERO chlorine in our Kangen water both from the drinking spout and the 2nd (strong acid) hose, so the determination was that the filter traps the chlorine in it and removes it from the water. Your statement that it doesn’t remove chlorine is false at least with a MW-7000HG Kangen filter in the machine.
Also, something not mentioned was that Kangen claims their water molecules are in clusters of 5 molecules per cluster, rather than 30-40 molecules per cluster of other waters and therefore, can get through the cell membrane more quickly and do a better job of hydrating your body. It claims to be a great recovery drink for athletes.
Can you train me on this kangen water so that I can be a distributor.