Physiological effects of alkaline ionized water:
Effects on metabolites produced by intestinal fermentation
Takashi Hayakawa, Chicko Tushiya, Hisanori Onoda, Hisayo Ohkouchi,
Haruto Tsuge (Gifu University, Faculty of Engineering, Dept.
of Food Science)
"We have found that long-term ingestion of alkaline ionized
water (AIW) reduces cecal fermentation in rats that were given
highly fermentable commercial diet (MF: Oriental Yeast Co.,
Ltd.). In this experiment, rats were fed MF and test water
(tap water, AIW with pH at 9 and 10) for about 3 months. Feces
were collected on the 57th day, and the rats were dissected
on the 88th day. The amount of ammonium in fresh feces and
cecal contents as well as fecal free-glucose tended to drop
down for the AIW group. In most cases, the amount of free-amino
acids in cecal contents did not differ significantly except
for cysteine (decreased in AIW with pH at 10) and isoleucine
(increased in AIW with pH at 10).
Purpose of tests
Alkaline ionized water electrolyzers have
been approved for manufacturing in 1965 by the Ministry
of Health and Welfare
as medical equipment to produce medical substances.
Alkaline ionized water (AIW) produced by this equipment is
known
to be effective against gastrointestinal fermentation,
chronic diarrhea, indigestion and hyperchylia as well as
for controlling
gastric acid.
- This is mainly based on efficacy of the
official
calcium hydroxide.
- By giving AIW to rats for a comparatively
long time under the condition of extremely high
level of intestinal fermentation, we have demonstrated that
AIW
intake is effective
for inhibition of intestinal fermentation when
its level is high based on some test results where AIW worked
against cecal
hypertrophy and for reduction in the amount of
short-chain
fatty acid that is the main product of fermentation.
- We have reported that this is caused by the synergy
between calcium
level generally contained in AIW (about 50ppm)
and the value
of pH, and that frequency of detecting some anaerobic
bacteria tends to be higher in alkaline ionized water
groups than
the other, although the bacteria count in the
intestine does not
have significant difference. Based on these results,
we made a judgment that effect of taking AIW supports
part of
inhibition
mechanism against abnormal intestinal fermentation,
which is one of the claims of efficacy that have been
attributed to
alkaline ionized water electrolyzers.
- On the other
hand, under the dietary condition of low intestinal
fermentation, AIW uptake does not seem to inhibit fermentation
that leads
us to believe that effect of AIW uptake is
characteristic
of hyper-fermentation state. Metabolites
produced by
intestinal fermentation include indole and skatole
in addition to organic
acids such as short-chain fatty acid and
lactic acid as well as toxic metabolites such as ammonium,
phenol
and
pcresol. We do not know how AIW uptake would affect
the production of
these materials. In this experiment, we have
tested on
ammonium
production as explained in the following sections.
Testing methods
Four-week-old male Wistar/ST Clean rats were
purchased from Japan SLC Co. Ltd. and were divided into
3 groups of 8 each
after preliminary breeding. AIW of pH 9 and
10 was produced by an electrolyzer Mineone ROYAL
NDX3 1
OH by Omco Co.,
Ltd. This model produces AIW by electrolyzing
water with calcium
lactate added. On the last day of testing,
the rats were dissected under Nembutal anesthesia
to take
blood from
the heart by a
heparin-treated syringe. As to their organs,
the small intestines, cecum and colon plus rectum were
taken
out from each of them.
The cecurn was weighed and cleaned with physiological
saline after its contents were removed, and
the tissue weight
was measured after wiping out moisture. Part
of cecal contents was measured its pH, and the rest
was used
to assay ammonium
concentration. The amount of ammonium contained
in fresh feces and cecal contents was measured
by the
Nessler
method after
collecting it in the extracted samples using
Conway's micro-diffusion container. Fecal free-glucose
was assayed by the oxygen
method
after extraction by hot water. Analysis of
free amino acids contained in cecal contents was conducted
by
the Waters
PicoTag amino acid analysis system.
Test results
and analyses
No difference was found in the
rats' weight gain, water and feed intake and feeding efficiency,
nor was any
particular distinction in appearance identified.
The length of the
small
intestines and colon plus rectum tended to
decline
in AIW groups.
PH value of cecal contents
was higher and
the amount
of fecal
free-glucose tended to be lower in AIW
groups than the control group. Since there was no
difference in fecal
discharge itself,
the amount of free-glucose discharged per
day was
at a low level.
The amount of discharged
free-glucose in feces
is
greater when intestinal fermentation
is more intensive, which indicates
that intestinal fermentation is more
inhibited in AIW
groups than the control group.
Ammonium
concentration in cecal
contents tends to drop down in AIW
groups (Fig. 1). This trend was
most distinctive in case of fresh feces
of one of AIW groups with
pH 10 (Fig.2) AIW uptake was found
to be inhibitory against ammonium production. In order to study
dynamics of amino
acids in large intestines, we examined
free amino acids in the cecal
contents to find out that cysteine
level
is low in AIW groups whereas isoleucine level
is high
in one
of AIW
groups with
pH 10, although no significant difference
was identified for other amino acids.
Bibliography
- "Verification of Alkaline Ionized Water" by
Life Water Institute, Metamor Publishing Co., 1994, p.46
- "Official Pharmaceutical Guidelines of Japan,
Vol. IT' by Japan Public Documents Association,
Hirokawa PublIshin Co., 1996
- "Science and Technology of Functional Water" (part)
by Takashi Hayakawa, Haruffito
Tsuge, edited by Water Scienll cc Institute,
1999, pp.109-116
- "Effective Use of
Alkaline Ionized Water" by
Takashi Hayakawa, Haruhito
Tsuge, edited by Tetsuji
Hc kudou, 25th
General Assembly of Japan
Medical Congress 'Tunctional
Water in Medical Treatment",
Administratio~ Offices,
1999, pp. 10- 11
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