CONCERNS ABOUT MINERALS
IN YOUR DRINKING WATER
CONCERNS ABOUT MINERALS
IN YOUR DRINKING WATER
The issue of minerals in water is complex. The scientific principle of osmosis is that water will move from an area of lower (solute) concentration to an area of higher (solute) concentration. In other words, water that is void of minerals is more hydrating because it will more readily cross the cell membranes in your body.
You may have heard that distilled water and water produced by reverse osmosis are ‘dead,’ due to the intensity of the processing and the lack of minerals. However, measuring the energy of reverse osmosis water disputes this argument. The notion of ‘dead’ water is a misnomer that you should disregard. This is one of those silly internet rumors that has no basis in fact.
Water has been demonstrated to have a healthy condition, and it may be true that water’s physical condition, specifically the angle of the bonds between water molecules, is affected by transport in pipes and by filtration. Another objection to drinking either distilled or RO water is that both will be acidic. This is easily countered with the addition of a filter to raise pH. Numerous water treatment salespeople claim to ‘remineralize’ RO water but tests show a rise in pH only and no significant increase in mineral content from any of these filters.
Some wellness professionals advise drinking spring water. Spring water has minerals and is thought to be naturally vibrant – if it has not been conveyed in a pipe. Mineral content has been show to be beneficial by a number of independent studies funded by the World Health Organization. These studies indicate that people who drink water containing minerals suffer lower rates of heart disease than people who drink water lacking minerals.
Spring waters can vary widely in water quality and mineral content. Mineral content is measured as total dissolved solids (tds). EPA suggests an upper limit for tds of 500 ppm for drinking water. This is because water with a high mineral content is not hydrating.
What does this mean for you? It means that lower tds water is more hydrating, and that minerals in water are a benefit. Minerals should be present in relatively low amounts, however, far less than EPA’s limit of 500 ppm. I like to drink water with a tds between 30 and 200.
Other considerations are just as important as minerals. For instance the presence of contaminants in your water may have serious health effects. When looking at your water report there is a section which identifies your specific water source. If your water source is a river, and there are cities upstream of your location, then your water will contain a dangerous mix of contaminants.
Recent studies show that the water provided to 43 million Americans contains pharmaceuticals such as hormones, pain killers, and other drugs.6 Even trace amounts of these chemicals can have serious health effects. The only treatment proven effective at removal of these contaminants is reverse osmosis. Therefore a review of the water source and contaminants in your water quality report will lead you to determine which type of water filtration system will be effective in removing the contaminants present in your water. In many cases these factors will far outweigh the benefit of mineral content.
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