Drinking pure, clean water is a cornerstone of health, and you should pay close attention to the purity and quality of the water you consume.
Distilled water was around long before the benefits of alkaline water were popularized, and it is still widely marketed and consumed today. But do you know what really happens to water when it is distilled, and how it can affect your body?
Why Distilled Water Is Hardly Recommended
To make distilled water, water is boiled and evaporated away from its dissolved minerals. The vapor is condensed, and the resulting water droplets are collected.
Distilled water is an active absorber; it quickly absorbs carbon dioxide and becomes acidic when it makes contact with air.
Since it is free of dissolved minerals and other particles, distilled water has the ability to absorb toxic substances from your body and eliminate them.
Distilled water may be helpful when you’re detoxifying for a week or two. But the longer you drink it, the more likely you are to develop mineral deficiencies and an acidic state.
You run the risk of rapidly losing electrolytes – sodium, potassium, and chloride – and trace minerals. This can cause cardiac irregularities, high blood pressure, and emotional or cognitive disturbances.
In a paper by the World Health Organization, water low in calcium and magnesium, such as distilled water, is linked to a number of health concerns:
- Higher risk of bone fracture in children
- Cardiovascular disease
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Motor-neuronal diseases
- Pre-term birth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia (or high blood pressure during pregnancy)
- Acute magnesium and calcium deficiency, weakness, fatigue, and muscle cramping
- Various types of cancer
- Increased risk of “sudden death”
However, the problem with distilled water doesn’t end in potential mineral deficiencies.
How Distillation Worsens the Presence of Toxic Water Contaminants
The dangers of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in most treated water supplies, such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), are created when chlorine and other water treatment disinfectants react with natural organic matter present in the source water.
Studies show that DBPs are over 10,000 times more toxic than chlorine. Of all the toxins and contaminants present in water (including fluoride and pharmaceutical drugs), DBPs may be the worst.
Distilling water actually worsens the presence of these toxic contaminants in water. This is because anything that vaporizes at a lower temperature than water, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and THMs, will also be boiled and condensed.
While the heavy metals are left behind (e.g. lead will not vaporize), chlorine will still change into chloroform during distillation and will still be present in your distilled water. Not only will distillation fail to remove DBPs, but it may also deliver a more concentrated dose of them.
Stick to Pure, Clean Drinking Water
Distilled water is expensive, energy-intensive, and does not remove VOCs or DBPs. It draws out chemicals and metal contaminants from whatever containers it’s stored in, and it leaches minerals from your body, potentially leading to health problems.
It may aid in short-term detoxification, but the drawbacks outweigh the perceived benefits.
What you should aim to have is pure, clean water – not too alkaline, not too acidic. The pH of your water should ideally be close to 7 (neutral). Somewhere between 6.5 to 7.5 is acceptable.
Most mountain springs, for instance, have water in the 6.5 pH range. You can collect your own water from natural springs (check this listing of spring water sources) if they are readily accessible.[N1]
Additionally, you can normalize your pH not by drinking alkaline or distilled water, but by simply juicing vegetables.
It is also recommended to use a reliable water filtration system at home for the purity and protection of your family’s drinking water.
[N1]There’s a site where you can find locations of spring water near you. You should
Pamela Schroots is currently creating a report on the benefits of using a whole house water filter for all-around protection of your water for drinking, showering, and household needs. She is also a business intrepreneur and a mother of two lovely kids.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.