Related Terms

• Acid water, alkaline water, alkaline water ionizer, alkalized water, electrolyzed oxidizing water, electrolyzed reduced water, ERW, functional water technology, H2O, ionized water, multi-level marketing, MLM, neutral pH, pH level, water ionizer.

Background

• Kangen Water™ is the brand name of alleged health-enhancing alkaline water that is created through the process of electrolysis. Electrolysis separates "normal" tap water (H2O) into two parts: acidic H+ molecules and alkaline OH- molecules.

• The acidity or alkalinity of water is determined by its pH level, measured on a scale from 0 to 14. A solution with a pH level of 7.0 is neutral (neither acidic nor alkaline). A pH level over 7.0 is alkaline; a pH level under 7.0 is acidic. The pH level of human blood ranges from 7.35-7.45. Pure water has a neutral pH of 7.0. The pH level of Kangen Water™ that is used for drinking ranges from 8.0-10.0, with the optimum level around 9.5.

• The separation of water into acidic and alkaline components is accomplished through the use of a machine called a water ionizer. Water ionizers that create Kangen Water™ are manufactured by Enagic Co., Ltd., which is based in Japan. As of 2003, these machines have been distributed through a multi-level marketing (MLM) process in the United States, although international sales of Enagic's best-selling water ionizer, the LeveLuk DX, began in 2000. This company first began offering Kangen Water™ products in Japan in 1988.

• According to Enagic's 2005U.S.Patent and Trademark Office Registration, the English translation of the Japanese word "kangen" is "reduction or deoxidation." Enagic's Web site translates the term as "return to origin."

• The manufacture of water ionizers is not exclusive to Enagic. These products are also available internationally through companies such as Jupiter Science (with manufacturing plants in Korea and Japan) and Tyent (whose plants are located in Korea and the United States). While water ionizers from these companies produce comparable types of alkaline water, the machines themselves differ in size, number of amperage settings, number of water filters, types of cleaning systems, and presence/absence of UV light systems to reduce pathogens and toxins in the water.

• There is limited information about the origins of water ionizers. In the 1930s, a Rumanian scientist named Dr. Henri Coanda reportedly traveled to remote villages in the Himalayas, and in parts of China, to investigate the longevity of people in those areas. He looked closely at the glacial alkaline water ingested by the villagers, and wondered if it was possible to re-create this water's structure artificially. The issue remained unsolved until the 1940s, when Japanese researchers (with some Russian assistance) experimented with the process of electrolysis, separating water into alkaline and acidic components. Doctors in Japan tested this alkaline water on a variety of medical conditions, creating the term "functional water technology."

• The first commercial water ionizers were manufactured and sold in Japan in the 1950s. Most of this equipment was used in hospitals. In 1966, the Health and Rehabilitation Ministry of the Japanese Government officially recognized the equipment category of alkaline water ionizers as medical devices.

• Enagic's Kangen Water™ ionizers were certified for sale in Japan as medical devices by the Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on February 1, 2006. As of February 2009, they have not been approved as medical or health devices by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

• Kangen Water™ advocates believe that the pH level of the body's internal fluids affects every living cell in the body, and that over-acidification of the body may lead to chronic diseases. There is currently a lack of comparable claims, however, that over-alkalinization of the body leads to disease. The purpose of drinking alkaline water is to counteract and balance the effects of acidic foods on cells of the body.

• Kangen Water™ is considered by its advocates to be a powerful antioxidant, but there is currently a lack of supporting scientific evidence. Some illnesses that may be helped by Kangen Water™, according to its supporters, include cancer, arthritis, heart disease, weight problems, diabetes, skin conditions, and premature aging.

• Proponents of Kangen Water™ believe that when a moderately alkaline environment is maintained in the body, metabolic, enzymatic, immunologic, and repair mechanisms function at their best. The acid-forming results of stress and inflammation may be adequately and effectively neutralized only when sufficient mineral-buffering reserves are present; this process is thought to be accomplished by drinking alkaline Kangen Water™.

• Other than testimonials on the Enagic Web site about the "delicious" quality of Kangen Water™, other indications are lacking that Kangen Water™ has a taste that is superior to other alkaline waters.

• Kangen Water™ ionizers range in price from about $1,200 to $6,000. They can only be purchased from authorized distributors through Enagic's multi-level marketing system.

Technique

• The separation of water into acidic and alkaline components is accomplished through the use of a machine called a water ionizer. A water ionizer is a device that first filters chemical impurities out of tap water and then sends the water to a chamber that includes at least two platinum-coated, solid titanium plates. As an electric current is passed through water in the chamber, alkaline elements in the water are pulled to one plate. The resulting alkalized water in this part of the chamber can be withdrawn from the machine for drinking and cooking purposes. Acidic elements of the water are drawn to the other plate; this acidic water is considered unsuitable for drinking but can be used for cleaning and "beauty" purposes (i.e., skin care) after passing through a disposal hose.

• The pH level of water dispensed from a Kangen Water™ ionizer can be adjusted by raising or lowering the amount of salt added to the machine during water production. The measured pH level of each batch of water determines the water's use.

• According to Enagic's Web site: "Strong" Kangen Water™ (with a highly-alkaline pH level ≥11) is used for food preparation and for the removal of kitchen grease and grime, but is not recommended for drinking. "Traditional" Kangen Water™ (with a pH level ranging from 8.0-10.0) is recommended for cooking and drinking purposes. "Clean" Kangen Water™ (with a neutral pH of 7.0) is best for drinking, taking medicine, or preparing baby formula. "Acidic" Kangen Water™ (with a pH level of 6.0-4.0) is best for its skin-tightening astringent properties. It may also be used to clean glass, eyeglasses, gems, knives, and to polish metal. Strongly acidic Kangen Water™ (with a pH level below 4.0) can be used as a disinfectant.

• "Strong," "Traditional," and "Clean" Kangen Waters™ are all discharged through the "drinking" hose that leads from the ionizer. Acidic and strongly acidic Kangen Waters™ are discharged through the machine's disposal hose. Water ionizers that create Kangen Water™ are produced by Enagic Co., Ltd. in Japan. Enagic's flagship water ionizing product, LeveLuk DX, first came on the market in Japan in 2000, using a multi-level marketing (MLM) approach. As of 2003, these water ionizing machines have also been distributed through a similar MLM process in the United States.

• Enagic's Kangen Water™ ionizers are primarily marketed by distributors to individuals and families for use in their homes. Sales of the device also target clinics, hospitals, and healthcare professionals. According to the company's Web site, Enagic ionizers are the only alkaline water equipment manufacturers to be endorsed by the Japanese Association for Preventive Medicine of Adult Disease. There is currently a lack of available statistics on the number of hospitals and medical centers currently using Enagic's Kangen Water™ equipment. Distributors of Kangen Water™ ionizers receive compensation based on their sales position within Enagic's eight-stage multi-level marketing system. Enagic is a privately-held company. As of 2008, about 500,000 Kangen Water™ units have been installed worldwide. Reported sales in 2006 approached $250 million, and estimated sales in 2008 are $750 million.

Theory/Evidence

• Proponents of drinking electrolyzed water believe that when an alkaline environment is maintained in the body, metabolic, enzymatic, immunologic, and repair mechanisms function at their best: the acid -forming results of stress and inflammation can be adequately and effectively neutralized only when sufficient mineral-buffering reserves are present. Water that is predominantly alkaline allegedly provides this neutralizing effect when consumed on a regular basis. Enagic recommends drinking Kangen Water™ throughout the day, with one glass in the morning, and two or three glasses of Kangen Water™ on an empty stomach between meals.

• According to Enagic's Web site, drinking too much Kangen Water™ may result in the following side effects: sluggishness or heaviness in the bowels, a swollen face or legs in the morning, and/or constipation or diarrhea for several days or weeks after starting to drink.

• On October 8, 1965, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare declared that ionized water can be promoted as a way to help "abnormal gastrointestinal fermentation, chronic diarrhea, indigestion, and acid indigestion." It may also be advertised for its "astringent effects." It is illegal in Japan, however, to promote ionized water as a treatment, or as a cure, for any other health indications.

• Enagic's Kangen Water™ ionizers were certified in Japan as medical devices by the Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on February 1, 2006. No water ionizers created by Enagic, or any other manufacturers, have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. In fact, indication that Enagic has ever applied for FDA approval for its water ionizers is lacking. Sales of water ionizers are, however, legal in the United States and worldwide.

• There is a lack of credible scientific evidence to support the consumption of alkaline Kangen Water™ over normal chlorinated tap water for the maintenance of health or the treatment of disease.

• A laboratory study conducted in Russia in 2004 suggests the use of acidic "electrolyzed oxidizing water" (i.e., the "waste" acidic water from water-ionizing equipment) as a disinfectant in hospital applications. Laboratory studies conducted in 2007 and 2008 in Spain and Switzerland found that acidic oxidized water could be used successfully as a disinfectant in food service applications. There is a lack of evidence, however, that electrolyzed acidic water created by a water ionizer is superior to hospital and food service disinfectants that are already in use.

• The marketing potential of water-ionizing machines to hospitals may be increased, because both types of water created by the equipment may have beneficial uses in medical settings: alkaline water for health, in addition to acidic water for disinfection.

Health Impact/Safety

• Credible scientific evidence is lacking to support the consumption of alkaline Kangen Water™ over normal chlorinated tap water for the maintenance of health or the treatment of disease.

• Kangen Water™ is considered by its advocates to be a powerful antioxidant, but there is a lack of supporting scientific evidence for this belief.

• Many controversial laboratory studies and positive anecdotal reports have been published in Japan and Korea attesting to the health benefits of ionized alkaline water in humans and animals. Reports range from the successful treatment of skin conditions with alkaline water, to the treatment of gynecological conditions, heart disease, weight problems, premature aging, diabetes, allergies, and cancer.

• The earliest studies on ionized alkaline water date from 1960s research done by a group of physicians and agricultural research scientists in a Japanese institute that was created to study the benefits of alkaline water. Water ionizers were certified as medical devices in Japan in 1966, based on reports of the water's ability to: treat abnormal gastrointestinal fermentation, treat chronic diarrhea, treat indigestion, treat acid indigestion, and provide astringent properties when used on the skin. It is illegal in Japan to promote ionized water as a treatment, or as a cure, for any other health indications than the five conditions listed above.

• Proponents of Kangen Water™ believe that when a moderately alkaline environment is maintained in the body, metabolic, enzymatic, immunologic, and repair mechanisms function at their best. The acid-forming results of stress and inflammation may be adequately and effectively neutralized only when sufficient mineral-buffering reserves are present; this process is thought to be accomplished by drinking alkaline Kangen Water™.

• According to Enagic's Web site, drinking "too much" Kangen Water™ (unspecified amount) may result in the following side effects: sluggishness or heaviness in the bowels, a swollen face or legs in the morning, and/or constipation or diarrhea for several days or weeks after starting to drink.

Future Research or Applications

• Research will likely continue into the use of acidic "electrolyzed oxidizing water" as a disinfectant in hospital and food service applications.

• A 2008 laboratory study by Ye et al. suggested that electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) was able to suppress the formation of new blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to cancerous tissues. Future peer-reviewed research is necessary to determine which, if any, components in ERW led to these results.

Author Information

• This information has been edited and peer-reviewed by contributors to the Natural Standard Research Collaboration (www.naturalstandard.com).

Bibliography

Natural Standard developed the above evidence-based information based on a thorough systematic review of the available scientific articles. For comprehensive information about alternative and complementary therapies on the professional level, go to www.naturalstandard.com. Selected references are listed below.

1. Deza MA, Araujo M, Garrido MJ. Efficacy of neutral electrolyzed water to inactivate Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus on plastic and wooden kitchen cutting boards. J Food Prot. 2007 Jan;70(1):102-08. View Abstract

2. Hricova D, Stephan R, Zweifel C. Electrolyzed water and its application in the food industry. J Food Prot. 2008 Sep;71(9):1934-47. View Abstract

3. Kangen Water™ Therapies. www.kangenwtr.com

4. Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. www.naturalstandard.com

5. Park EJ, Alexander E, Taylor GA et al. Fate of foodborne pathogens on green onions and tomatoes by electrolysed water. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2008 May;46(5):519-25. View Abstract

6. Raghunand N, Gillies RJ. pH and drug resistance in tumors. Drug Resist Updat. 2000 Feb;3(1):39-47. View Abstract

7. Vorobjeva NV, Vorobjeva LI, & Khodjaev EY. The bactericidal effects of electrolyzed oxidizing water on bacterial strains involved in hospital infections. Artif Organs. 2004 Jun;28(6):590-2. View Abstract

8. Ye J, Li Y, Hamasaki T, et al. Inhibitory effect of electrolyzed reduced water on tumor angiogenesis. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 2008 Jan;31(1):19-26. View Abstract