Can I Drink Distilled Water

 

What is Distilled water?

Distilled water is water that has been boiled into steam and then cooled to become water again in a separate container making it free from dissolved   minerals and salts. Distilled water is devoid of dissolved minerals and other vital elements and has the special property of being able to actively and effectively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them. Artificially-produced distilled water were originally meant for industrial, technical and laboratory purposes and not for domestic consumption as has become the trend from the 1960’s when the distillation technologies became more widely used in treatment of drinking water by some coastal and inland arid areas who could not meet the increasing water demands of their ever-increasing population.

 

Is there a Difference Between Distilled Water and Purified water?

Distilled water is water in its purest form mixed with nothing else.The major difference between distilled and purified water is that distilled water goes through distillation which removes dissolved minerals and salts while purified water goes through other processes such as reverse osmosis, ion exchange, Ozonation, sand filtration, but still contains minerals and salts.

Overview of Distilled or Demineralized Water

-Demineralized water is highly aggressive and will attack the water distribution pipes. This will leach metals and other materials from the pipes, including related plumbing materials into drinking water if it is distributed through pipes and associated storage tanks.

– Distilled water has poor taste characteristics as its organoleptic features are poor.

– Scientific evidence points to the fact that some substances present in water could have beneficial as well as harmful effects on human health. For example, artificially fluoridated water prevents dental  caries and lower morbidity and mortality from some cardiovascular diseases in areas with hard water.

 

Can You Drink Distilled Water While Pregnant?

A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle at any time, but especially vital if you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Healthy eating keeps you feeling good and gives your baby the essential nutrients they need in uterus. Distilled water is not recommended for pregnant women because of its low mineral content and poor thirst-quenching capacity. Although drinking distilled water  does not affect the vitamins digested by the pregnant women, essential minerals may be reduced in numbers in the presence of carbon. Introducing distilled water into the intestine according to some studies can cause abnormal changes in epithelial cells possibly due to osmotic shock. Drinking distilled water was also found to increase the risk of skeletal ossification in fetuses, decreased serum potassium concentration, and increased the elimination of sodium, potassium, and chloride calcium and magnesium ions from the body.

 

 

Can I Drink Distilled Water While Breastfeeding?

Distilled water is not recommended during breastfeeding largely due to its aggressive nature . Your breast milk is made up of about 90 percent water and the most common minerals found in purified water (calcium, sodium,potassium, copper manganese, iron and magnesium) are very vital for the growing child and a breast feeding mother during this period. During breastfeeding your body can be more sensitive to dehydration as such it is important to drink enough water and stay healthy during this phase. The practice of forcing babies to drink distilled water with formula is also very unhealthy and could potentially deprive the child of vital nutrients. Potassium one of the common minerals found in water, works with sodium to control the body’s water balance, which helps maintain healthy blood pressure.  Potassium also helps with muscle function and heart rhythm and, in later years, may reduce the risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis. See: Sources Of Water

 

Is it safe to Drink Distilled Water Everyday?

Drinking distilled water is not without some benefits.One of the most important health benefit distilled of water is the elimination of water borne contaminants that may potentially be found in water.It is not dangerous to drink distilled water as part of a balanced diet, which should include foods that replace any minerals lost through sweat. However, fasting for an extended period, then drinking only distilled water may be dangerous, because a person would not be replacing any of the lost minerals.

In response to the German edition of The Shocking Truth about Water, the German Society for Nutrition warned against drinking distilled water instead of “ordinary” drinking water. The Society explains that water in the human body always contains 152 electrolytes at specific concentrations controlled by the body while the re-absorption of water by the intestinal epithelium is also enabled by sodium transport.

If distilled water is consumed, the intestine has to add electrolytes (minerals) to it by taking them from reserves of the body and since the body does not eliminate fluid in the form of “pure” water but always in combination with salts, adequate intake of electrolytes must be ensured. Nevertheless there are still endless controversies about the benefits of drinking distilled water among scholars and health practitioners.

Can I Drink Distilled Water For Batteries ?

 An increasing number of people want to know what will happen if you drink distilled water for batteries. Distilled water is the most common type of water used in batteries others include deionized water and water from reverse osmosis. Water produced for industrial and non human consumption do not pass through the stringent quality control standards and good practices required to meet mandatory limits drinking water. Moreover some manufacturers add small quantity of sulphuric acid in water for battery and that is definitely harmful if consumed by humans.

Should I Drink Distilled Water for Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones are hard collections of salt and minerals often made up of calcium or uric acid. Kidney stones are more commonly found in individuals who drink less than the recommended eight to ten glasses of water a day. A kidney stone usually remains symptomless until it moves into the ureter. One of the benefits of distilled water is its ability to help reduce the symptoms of kidney stones.

 

Disadvantages of Drinking Distilled Water

Removal of Nutrients from Food

Another very important impact or side effect of distilled water  is the ability of distilled water to remove nutrients from food when used in cooking foods. The use of distilled water for cooking has been found to cause significant loss of all essential elements from food including vegetables, cereals and meat.

These losses may reach up to 60 % for calcium and magnesium or even greater for microelements such as copper 66 %, manganese 70 %, and Cobalt at 86 %.One of the reasons why most soft drinks and soda have become a public health nightmare is that apart from the fact that they contain excessive sugar, they are also made from distilled water.

Several studies have shown that heavy consumers of soft drinks excrete huge amounts of magnesium, calcium and other trace minerals significantly increasing the risk for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and a long list of chronic and degenerative conditions.

A similar study also revealed that there is a correlation between the consumption of soft water such as distilled water and the incidence of cardiovascular disease as earlier established.  

Increased Risk of Dietary Intake of Toxic Metals

Demineralized water as previously established is highly aggressive and will readily dissolve organic substances and attack water pipes, coatings, storage tanks containers, hose lines, fittings, and related plumbing infrastructure, leaching metals and other materials from the pipes and associated materials into drinking water.

This increased risk from toxic metals posed by distilled water consumption through the municipal water supply system can lower the protective (antitoxic) capacity of water low in calcium and magnesium.

Among eight outbreaks of chemical poisoning as a result of drinking water consumption in the United States reported between the year 1993 to 1994, there were three cases of lead poisoning involving infants who had blood-lead levels of 42 μ g/dL, 37 μ g/dL and 15 μ g/dL, far beyond the level of concern which is pegged at 10 μ g/dL.

Investigation revealed that in all three cases, lead had leached from lead-soldered seams and brass fittings in drinking water storage tanks.

 

Increased Risk of Bacterial Contamination of Distilled water 

All water, distilled or not are prone to bacterial contamination in the absence of a disinfectant or antimicrobial agent. The lack of a residual disinfectant, and the possibility of greater availability of certain nutrients due to the aggressive nature of the distilled or demineralized water to the materials it comes in contact with it, can significantly increase the possibility of microbial growth.

 

This is despite the fact that an intact desalination membrane should be able to remove all bacteria, it is sometimes not 100 % effective due to leaks that can occur from time to time as documented by an outbreak of typhoid fever which was caused by reverse osmosis-treated water in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1992.