Alkanatur research

The science behind every drop.

Here is the science behind Alkanatur: studies we funded on Alkanatur water, plus independent research on alkaline water. Every study is linked in full, so you can read it for yourself.

Look for the tag on each card. Some studies tested Alkanatur water, and others looked at alkaline water in general.

Shop the pitcherSee the lab certificates

What the research found

Four findings, in plain English.

  • pH from 6 to 9+Mineral water went from slightly acidic to alkaline after the Alkanatur pitcher (University of Almería lab test)
  • 4.2xmore power to absorb acid than the same water before filtering (University of Almería)
  • Better enduranceTriathletes went longer before fatigue set in, and recovered faster, on Alkanatur water (Reebok Sport Club)
  • 46 peoplein a 3-month randomized study had lower activity of a key inflammation gene on filtered alkaline water (CSIC)

Who ran the studies

  • CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
  • University of Almería
  • University of Vigo
  • Reebok Sport Club La Finca

Built for athletes

What happens when endurance athletes swap tap water for Alkanatur?

Triathletes drinking Alkanatur water lasted longer and recovered faster
Tested Alkanatur water

Reebok Sport Club La Finca · Spain · 2018

Triathletes drinking Alkanatur water lasted longer and recovered faster

In stress tests, the athletes could keep going longer before fatigue took over, and they had less lactate in their blood after all-out effort, compared with their own results on tap water.

In plain English: Lactate is what builds up in your muscles when you push hard, and the anaerobic threshold is the point where your body can't keep up and fatigue takes over. A later threshold plus less lactate means going longer and bouncing back faster. It is a small study of 7 athletes, each compared with themselves.

Seven triathletes from Team Clavería, a high-performance program, did stress tests with exhaled-gas analysis: first hydrated with tap water, then after a week on Alkanatur alkaline water. The tests were coordinated by cardiologist Cristian Casseus Schurig and sports-medicine specialist Dr. María Jesús Núñez Martí.

See the charts and results

Inside the body

Research with Spain's national research council (CSIC) and the University of Vigo. Most of this work is preclinical, which means lab and animal models. It is early science, and we show it with the results.

In mice with melanoma, filtered alkaline water meant more contained tumors and fewer lung metastases
Tested Alkanatur water

CSIC-UAM · Archives of Medical Science · 2021

In mice with melanoma, filtered alkaline water meant more contained tumors and fewer lung metastases

Tumors in mice drinking filtered water were more encapsulated (walled off), less hemorrhagic and looked less aggressive, and these mice had fewer metastatic nodules in their lungs.

In plain English: Metastasis is when cancer spreads to other organs. The researchers think healthier blood-vessel structure is part of the story. The tumors were not smaller (size trended slightly larger, not significantly). This was a mouse study in the lab, and it does not mean the water treats cancer.

Dr. María Monsalve's team at the Alberto Sols Biomedical Research Institute (CSIC-UAM) compared alkalinized water with tap water in mouse tumor models. The paper was published in the journal Archives of Medical Science – Civilization Diseases.

Read the published article
In rats with high blood pressure, 12 weeks of Alkanatur-filtered water gave blood vessels that opened up better
Tested Alkanatur water

CSIC-UAM · Preclinical study (rats)

In rats with high blood pressure, 12 weeks of Alkanatur-filtered water gave blood vessels that opened up better

The rats' main artery relaxed and opened up better when tested, and inflammation markers in blood and heart tissue were lower.

In plain English: In high blood pressure, vessels lose some of their ability to relax and widen, and constant low-level inflammation makes it worse. Rats on filtered water had vessels that responded better to a relaxing signal (nitric oxide) and calmer inflammation. It is an animal study: a promising signal, not proof for people.

The same CSIC-UAM team followed up on the tumor study by testing the vascular effects directly in a rat model of hypertension, alkaline water versus tap water. Their conclusion: alkaline water could help preserve vascular function and ease low-grade chronic inflammation.

Read the study (English PDF)Original (Spanish)
46 people with IBD in remission: three months on filtered alkaline water, calmer inflammation signals
Tested Alkanatur water

CSIC-UAM and ICTAN-CSIC · Randomized trial · 2025 preprint

46 people with IBD in remission: three months on filtered alkaline water, calmer inflammation signals

People drinking filtered alkaline water had significantly lower activity of IL1B, a key inflammation gene, in their immune cells than the group drinking water from a fake filter.

In plain English: IBD flare-ups are driven by inflammation, so researchers tracked inflammation signals in blood and gut bacteria in stool. IL1B dropped significantly, and other signals moved the same way but not by enough to count. Small group, and a preprint that has not been peer reviewed yet.

A two-arm, randomized, three-month study with 46 people with inflammatory bowel disease in remission, run by CSIC, the Autonomous University of Madrid and ICTAN-CSIC. It is a preprint on bioRxiv, so it has not been peer reviewed yet.

Read the preprint
Two months on Alkanatur pitcher water: lower blood triglycerides and less oxidative stress in the pancreas
Tested Alkanatur water

University of Vigo (CITI) · Preclinical study

Two months on Alkanatur pitcher water: lower blood triglycerides and less oxidative stress in the pancreas

Animals drinking pitcher water (pH 9.5 to 9.8) had significantly lower blood triglycerides and fewer signs of oxidative stress in the pancreas than animals on public-supply water (pH 5.9 to 6.4).

In plain English: Oxidative stress is like rust inside cells: too many damaging molecules and too few antioxidants. This was a type 1 diabetes model, where the pancreas is the organ affected. The study tested the pitcher water as a whole (alkaline, mineral-rich and rich in antioxidants) against tap water, so it can't say which part does the work.

Prof. Anunciación Lafuente's toxicology group measured oxidative stress in a type 1 diabetes model. Pitcher water ran at pH 9.5 to 9.8; the public supply water ran at 5.9 to 6.4.

See the charts and results

In the glass

Before the body, there is the water. This is what the pitcher does to it.

Up to 4.2x more power to absorb acid than the same water before the pitcher
Tested Alkanatur water

University of Almería · UAL-AGR152 research group · 2019

Up to 4.2x more power to absorb acid than the same water before the pitcher

After filtering, water went from slightly acidic (around pH 6) to above pH 9, and could absorb 4.2x more acid in one mineral water and 3.6x more in the other.

In plain English: That absorbing power is called buffering capacity: the water's ability to neutralize acid instead of being pushed around by it. This is lab chemistry, not a test on people.

Prof. Pablo Campra's group ran automated acid titrations on ultra-pure water and two bottled mineral waters, before and after the Alkanatur pitcher, to measure how well the water buffers and neutralizes acid.

Read the study (English PDF)Original (Spanish)

Research from around the world

Independent studies by other institutions. They did not test Alkanatur water, but they look at the same question: what does alkaline, mineral-rich water do?

pH 8.8 water inactivated pepsin in the lab
Alkaline water research

Voice Institute of New York · Laboratory study

pH 8.8 water inactivated pepsin in the lab

Naturally alkaline artesian water at pH 8.8 instantly and permanently inactivated human pepsin and also buffered acid in vitro.

In plain English: Pepsin is the stomach enzyme that can irritate the throat when acid reflux washes up. In a lab dish, pH 8.8 water switched it off and soaked up acid. No people and no Alkanatur water were involved.

A reflux study from the Voice Institute of New York on alkaline drinking water. It was run in a lab dish, not in people, and it did not test Alkanatur water.

Read the study
Alkaline water with high magnesium: a review of the health research
Alkaline water research

Cruzeiro do Sul University, São Paulo, Brazil

Alkaline water with high magnesium: a review of the health research

Most studies link alkalizing foods to reduced bone resorption, and higher magnesium intake to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

In plain English: Researchers reviewed what is known about alkaline-forming foods and magnesium, and what they might mean for bones and heart health. It is a review of other research, not a new experiment.

A review paper on alkalinizing, high-magnesium water and its potential health effects. It looks at the research on alkaline diets and magnesium; it did not test Alkanatur water.

Read the paper

Watch the scientists explain it

Short clips from our full-length research videos, with English captions.

What is in the water we drink?

Dr. María Monsalve (CSIC) on microplastics and other pollutants in the water we drink, and why bottled water is not the answer.

Watch this moment in the full video

What does chlorine do to our water?

Dr. Monsalve on how tap water gets cleaned, and what that treatment leaves behind.

Watch this moment in the full video

Oxidative stress, explained with a car engine

From our hypertension study video: a plain-language way to think about oxidative stress in the body.

Watch this moment in the full video

“Not the magic water of Lourdes”

Dr. Monsalve on putting Alkanatur water through a real test, and what to expect from it.

Watch this moment in the full video

The full tumor study video, explained by the researchers

A 17-minute talk from the CSIC team on their mouse study (preclinical research, English captions).

Drink the water behind the studies.

The Alkanatur pitcher turns tap water into filtered, alkaline, mineral-rich water at home. Bring it to your kitchen.

Shop the pitcherShop shower filtersRead the lab certificates

Questions about the research

Were these studies done on people?

Some were. The Reebok study had seven triathletes and the IBD study had 46 people. The tumor, hypertension and diabetes studies were done in mice and rats, and the University of Almería work is water chemistry in the lab. Animal and lab results are early-stage science and do not predict what will happen in people.

Who paid for the studies?

Alkanatur funded or commissioned most of them, and each one was run by the university, institute or clinic named on its card. We tell you that on purpose, so you can read the studies in full and judge them yourself.

Why are some of the PDFs unofficial translations?

Most of the original studies are in Spanish. For the studies Alkanatur commissioned, we made English versions so you can read them. They are unofficial translations provided for reference, and the Spanish original is linked next to each one.

Does Alkanatur water treat or cure any disease?

No. Our water is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. These studies describe what researchers measured, and we share them so you can see the science behind the product.

(*) Based on available scientific information. These statements have not been evaluated by EFSA, Health Canada or the FDA. Alkanatur water is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Results in animals and in the lab do not predict results in people. Alkanatur recommends a balanced, varied and healthy diet. English PDFs are unofficial translations provided for reference; the originals are linked next to them.