[4] The machines originally became popular in Japan and other East Asian countries before becoming available in the U.S. and Europe.
A wide variety of benefits have been claimed, including the ability to slow aging,[7] prevent disease, give the body more energy, and offset alleged effects of acidic foods.
[3] This is an electrochemical process in which water is split to form hydrogen and oxygen by an electric current.
[1][18] In some machines, the process produces calcium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid through the use of an ion-exchange membrane.
[19] The effectiveness of the process is debatable because electrolysis requires significant amounts of time and power; hence, the amount of hydroxide that could be generated in a fast-moving stream of water such as a running tap would be minimal at best.