Baking soda is used in various baking recipes but an unpopular use of it is popular among weight watchers. Some people promote drinking baking soda for weight loss and claim that it works like magic. However, the health experts describe it as a dangerous thing to try at home and there is no scientific evidence of it working.
Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda is an alkaline white powder. Due to its alkaline nature, people often suggest drinking baking soda for weight loss but there is no proof of how it helps.
The human body naturally maintains its pH level making sure that it is neither too alkaline nor too acidic. But when a person eats food or drink which is either alkaline or acidic, the body pH changes.
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That’s why people suggest trying drinking baking soda for weight loss as it helps to change the pH making it more alkaline. But is that alkaline weight loss theory a real thing? Scientists believe it is very unlikely for this theory to work.
Baking soda powder is added to the water for drinking it. There are many cases where it has potentially helped people to lose weight. But there is no proof it is because of the baking soda water or anything else.
There are some studies which suggest excessive after intake can promote weight loss So if a person says that he has been drinking baking soda for weight loss, it might be the water and not the baking soda which has made him lose weight.
Another important point is that increasing water intake curbs hunger and a person eats less than normal. His food intake is low and eventually, he might lose weight too.
But health experts believe this whole drinking baking soda for weight loss theory has more side effects than benefits. Baking soda leads a person to urinate more. After excessive intake of baking soda water, a person may experience bicarbonate diuresis which is a significant health risk.
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With water, a person also loses a number of salts and minerals which are essentially required by the body to work. So taking banking soda water can dehydrate a person and remove essential salts.
A constant intake of baking soda water can impair the function of kidneys, making it hard for them to remove the baking soda and other harmful toxins from the body. All this can lead to severe complications, risking a person with kidney failure.
A study published in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine explains a case study where a patient ended up at the hospital with severe hemorrhagic encephalopathy caused by drinking baking soda. The researchers explain that the high amount of sodium in baking soda induced hypernatremia in him. And in severe hypernatremia cases, the brain cells begin to shrink leading to a hemorrhage. This increased tension, if not treated on time can make the brain vessels in the blood to rupture and cause death.
Some people experience stomach distress, nausea, and diarrhea after drinking baking soda water for weight loss. These are the signs which the body gives showing that something is not right. The high amount of sodium in baking soda can also cause seizures, breathing difficulties, and stomach rupture.
Those who are heavy drinkers, smokers, or kidney patients are at high risk. All this evidence suggests that drinking baking soda for weight loss is dangerous and could be deadly. There are many other safer ways to lose weight such as by controlling daily calorie intake and exercise. Health experts suggest to take better decisions for your health and do not involve yourself in shortcuts and tricks for weight loss.
