Associations of alkaline water with metabolic risks, sleep quality, muscle strength: A cross-sectional study among postmenopausal women

Much has been claimed on the health benefits of alkaline water including metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its features with scarcity of scientific evidence. Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted to determine whether regular consumption of alkaline water confers health advantage on blood metabolites, anthropometric measures, sleep quality and muscle strength among postmenopausal women. A total of 304 community-dwelling postmenopausal women were recruited with comparable proportion of regular drinkers of alkaline water and non-drinkers. Participants were ascertained on dietary intake, lifestyle factors, anthropometric and biochemical measurements. Diagnosis of MetS was made according to Joint Interim Statement definition. A total of 47.7% of the participants met MS criteria, with a significant lower proportion of MetS among the alkaline water drinkers. The observed lower fasting plasma glucose (F(1,294) = 24.20, p = 0.025, partial η(2) = 0.435), triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein concentration ratio (F(1,294) = 21.06, p = 0.023, partial η(2) = 0.360), diastolic blood pressure (F(1,294) = 7.85, p = 0.046, partial η(2) = 0.258) and waist circumference (F(1,294) = 9.261, p = 0.038, partial η(2) = 0.263) in the alkaline water drinkers could be considered as favourable outcomes of regular consumption of alkaline water. In addition, water alkalization improved duration of sleep (F(1,294) = 32.05, p = 0.007, partial η(2) = 0.451) and handgrip strength F(1,294) = 27.51, p = 0.011, partial η(2) = 0.448). Low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (F(1,294) = 1.772, p = 0.287, partial η(2) = 0.014), body weight (F(1,294) = 1.985, p = 0.145, partial η(2) = 0.013) and systolic blood pressure (F(1,294) = 1.656, p = 0.301, partial η(2) = 0.010) were comparable between the two different water drinking behaviours. In conclusion, drinking adequate of water is paramount for public health with access to good quality drinking water remains a critical issue. While consumption of alkaline water may be considered as a source of easy-to implement lifestyle to modulate metabolic features, sleep duration and muscle strength, further studies are warranted for unravelling the precise mechanism of alkaline water consumption on the improvement and prevention of MetS and its individual features, muscle strength and sleep duration as well as identification of full spectrum of individuals that could benefit from its consumption.