Is Distilled Water the Healthiest Option for Drinking?

[Saint]

The tap water is unclean, for the sake of health and long life, it is better to invest in distiller to get the cleanest water to drink.

 

[kuengb]

I think this is immoral.






















...Nevermind

 

[DarkAnt]

how is tap water "unclean"? Where I live its checked multiple times a day. Wouldn't using a distiller get rid of some of the good stuff in tap water such as floride?

 

[amwbonfire]

Saint... why do you keep trying to say everything is IMMORAL (In capitals.)

Drink your distilled water, and I'll stick mine in the iron, where it goes.



EDIT: Saint's location is given as "Planet of MARS". I think this is pretty much spot on - he's not joking.

 

[jimmy p]

I have two (well, 3) types of water that come from my tap - hard cold, (hot) and soft cold. Is soft water the same as distilled?

 

[jimmy p]

Actually I'm surprised George Foreman hasnt coined that one...

"My lean, mean, hard water reducing distilling machine... I'm so proud of it, I'll put my NAME on it!"

 

[Monique]

My american tap water came in blue and yellow shades

 

[humanino]

Now I get it. Saint is the joker.

 

[BobG]

If it's 'distilled water', then it is not healthy to drink. It leeches minerals from your body.

If it's 'filtered water', then it might be healthier to drink, depending upon your local water supply.

Filtered water is probably purer than most bottled waters, since most bottled waters are just the normal local water in the vicinity of the bottling company. I have been to places where I would definitely prefer water bottled somewhere else to the local water supply (some places I've even used bottled water to pour in the coffee maker).

Best bottled water in my (non-healthy oriented) opinion? Water Joe. Its caffeinated water. One bottle has the same amount of caffeine as 1 and 1/4 cups of coffee.

 

[humanino]

I smoke, I drink tape water and alcohol, i have sex even before mariage. Damn, I'll die young and go to hell. At least, I enjoy my short life.

 

[The Binary Monster]

You drink "tape water"? :O

 

[humanino]

I'm trying to quit and stick to alcohol, I want to avoid rust.

 

[Moonbear]

Yep, distilled water is bad for you, and if you've ever taken a sip just to find out, it tastes AWFUL (or so I've been told)

My tap water is just fine. I prefer knowing my water has been chlorinated to kill the germs and fluorinated to try to keep some semblance of healthy teeth in my mouth (I'm terribly prone to cavities no matter what I do). Filters are okay as long as you clean them often enough. Too many people use them until they are contaminating their water with mold and algae from the filter.

Of course, if your house still has lead pipes for some reason, then by all means, use bottled water. Or if you rely on well-water and aren't sure of how clean it is, same thing.

If you think there may be little beasties in your water that shouldn't be, call the water company and have them check it! Or boil it.

 

[The Binary Monster]

What is this "tape water" anyhow? I only know of tap water, mineral water, heavy water, distilled water, boiled water, etc... I haven't heard of tape water before!

 

[humanino]

tape water is the way french people mistype tap water. But that's fine, you are allowed to ignore a few things

 

[ray b]

I smoke, I drink tape water and alcohol, i have sex even before mariage. Damn, I'll die young and go to hell. At least, I enjoy my short life.

" ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG "


char-coal filtered at the tap
that may not get everything out
but it sure does taste better

soft water is a small amounts of salt added to reduce some minerals but is not really pure or distiled

 

[The Binary Monster]

We use soft water for everything but drinking... apparently it's not too good to drink in large amounts?

 

[jimmy p]

Hard water contains minerals which are good for you, but can cause kidney stones and such like.

Soft water doesn't contain kidney-stone-causing minerals, but people who drink it have a higher risk of heart disease than hard water drinkers.

Kinda catch 22 isn't it?

 

[Monique]

Yep, distilled water is bad for you, and if you've ever taken a sip just to find out, it tastes AWFUL (or so I've been told)

So what if you make coffee or tea with distilled water, that would be ok to drink? Not that I would, but I know people who do

 

[Averagesupernova]

If soft water contains salt it is simply residue. Softener salt is used to disolve the crud that collects on the filter in the softener. If you never recharge your softener then you will never use any salt. The salt is not deliberately added.

I have owned a still and I personally think the water tastes good. At first it seems bitter but it is actually a lack of taste. You get used to it. I also found that I drank a lot more water when I used the still. Just had the craving. Never heard about it leaching minerals from your body though.

 

[Saint]

our bodies obtain the required minerals from food, fruits etc. , not from the water we drink.
Water is a medium to perform metabolism, it should be as clean as possible.

Distilled water is the best.

 

[Moonbear]

I looked into it further, and a number of sites, including an EPA site, said distilled water is okay to drink, just tastes "flat." I've noticed that some bottled drinking water actually adds back some minerals, probably for taste. But there's no need for it. The minerals are in very small amounts compared to what you get in your food, so are neither sufficient to provide your nutrient requirements nor high enough to do anything to harm you.

 

[Saint]

I looked into it further, and a number of sites, including an EPA site, said distilled water is okay to drink, just tastes "flat." I've noticed that some bottled drinking water actually adds back some minerals, probably for taste. But there's no need for it. The minerals are in very small amounts compared to what you get in your food, so are neither sufficient to provide your nutrient requirements nor high enough to do anything to harm you.

Exactly, you're absolutely right!
So, please drink distilled water!
To prolong your life and free from cancer!

 

[Saint]

2. Are there any minerals missing from distilled water that my body needs?
It is true that you need minerals, but these are best obtained from your food and food supplements. There are two sources of minerals: organic and inorganic. Our bodies cannot easily assimilate minerals that come from an inorganic source such as the water we drink. Our bodies receive the minerals they assimilate from organic sources such as the food we eat. Green, leafy vegetable, meat, and dairy products are all good sources.

Distillation removes the minerals out of the water before they can enter the body's system, and distilled water may also remove mineral deposits already there(in arthritic joints, for example). The minerals our bodies depend on are absorbed and remain in the tissues. Therefore, distilled water is best as it removes virtually all of the contaminants from your water. Of course, we do need some inorganic minerals, like sodium, but these are also found in abundant supply in food.

3. Does distilled water leach minerals from my body?
No, that is not an accurate statement. Distilled water is the purest form of water, the universal solvent. Pure water does absorb discarded minerals and with the assistance of the blood and lymph(mostly water), transports them to the kidneys for elimination. It is this kind of mineral elimination that is incorrectly referred to as 'leaching'. The expression that distilled water leaches minerals from the body is inaccurate. Distilled water does not leach out body minerals, it collects and removes minerals which have been rejected by the cells and tissues, which if not evacuated, can cause arterial obstruction, arthritic deposits and other potentially serious bodily damage.

 

[Evo]

I read an article recently about the water supply in New York containing living crustaceous "animals" and Orthodox Jews were advised not to drink the water.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Northeast/06/02/kosher.water.ap/

 

[recon]

Saint, aku hanya mendidih airku. Bolehkah tu?

A man once tried to sell us a distiller. It cost 2000 dollars. Anyway, I find that boiling water is enough to get rid of anything harmful. Of course, I'm only 15 and the effects may not show themselves for a few more years.

 

[chronon]

The tap water is unclean, for the sake of health and long life, it is better to invest in distiller to get the cleanest water to drink.

When I was ill and had to watch out for the possibility of infections I was given a list of what foods were OK and what to avoid.

No. 1 on the allowed list: tap water

No. 1 on the avoid list: filtered/bottled (still) water.

 

[Crumbles]

I looked into it further, and a number of sites, including an EPA site, said distilled water is okay to drink, just tastes "flat." I've noticed that some bottled drinking water actually adds back some minerals, probably for taste. But there's no need for it. The minerals are in very small amounts compared to what you get in your food, so are neither sufficient to provide your nutrient requirements nor high enough to do anything to harm you.

Exactly, you're absolutely right!
So, please drink distilled water!
To prolong your life and free from cancer!

How about the fluoride content of tap water you miss out on?

 

[Kalimaa23]

Were I live, the tap water is actually cleaner than bottled water. Bit too much calcium though for my taste.

 

[Gokul43201]

The "cleanest water" is not necessarily the best for the human body. Drinking pure 18.2 mega ohm de-ionized water in the long term is not good. At least the warning on our Helix De-ionizer says to avoid drinking it, so we don't, though a little bit won't hurt.

I would think the real argument here is between the choice of distilled over filtered water for long-term consumption..

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

"Distilled water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact. Notably, carbon dioxide from the air is rapidly absorbed, making the water acidic and even more aggressive."

I also found this :

During nearly 19 years of clinical practice I have had the opportunity to observe the health effects of drinking different types of water. Most of you would agree that drinking unfiltered tap water could be hazardous to your health because of things like


parasites
chlorine
fluoride
dioxins

Many health fanatics, however, are often surprised to hear me say that drinking distilled water on a regular, daily basis is potentially dangerous.

...

There is a correlation between the consumption of soft water (distilled water is extremely soft) and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Cells, tissues and organs do not like to be dipped in acid and will do anything to buffer this acidity including the removal of minerals from the skeleton and the manufacture of bicarbonate in the blood.

The longer one drinks distilled water, the more likely the development of mineral deficiencies and an acid state.

I have done well over 3000 mineral evaluations using a combination of blood, urine and hair tests in my practice. Almost without exception, people who consume distilled water exclusively, eventually develop multiple mineral deficiencies.

Those who supplement their distilled water intake with trace minerals are not as deficient but still not as adequately nourished in minerals as their non-distilled water drinking counterparts even after several years of mineral supplementation.

The ideal water for the human body should be slightly alkaline and this requires the presence of minerals like

calcium
magnesium

Distilled water tends to be acidic and can only be recommended as a way of drawing toxins out of the body. Once this is accomplished, the continued drinking of distilled water is a bad idea.

Water filtered through reverse osmosis tends to be neutral and is acceptable for regular use provided minerals are supplemented.

Water filtered through a solid charcoal filter is slightly alkaline. Ozonation of this charcoal filtered water is ideal for daily drinking. Longevity is associated with the regular consumption of hard water (high in minerals). Disease and early death is more likely to be seen with the long term drinking of distilled water.

Avoid it except in special circumstances.

Zoltan P. Rona MD MSc

http://watershed.net/purified.htm

 

[Moonbear]

The fluorine issue is a big one. There is an increase in cavities among children that has been attributed to the increase in drinking bottled water that does not contain flurorine, even with fluorine in toothpaste. IIRC, children drinking primarily bottled water are recommended to use an extra fluorine mouthwash.

That acidification of distilled water when it sits is the reason you're supposed to use your distilled/deionized water immediately when making reagents in the lab, and why it's not recommended to store it after it comes out of the purification system (as you too often see in labs, they fill up a carboy with water and use it for days from that source). If you measure the pH of that water after a few days, you'll see it drifts far lower than 7 (neutral) into the acidic range. I've done this to prove to our tech that she should make buffers from freshly purified water and use them promptly. Of course it depends on the use. When a range of pH is acceptable, it's not as critical as when doing analytical chemistry where you need to keep pH very precise.

But, the fact remains, water is water and as long as your body doesn't dehydrate, and there aren't any parasites in the water, you'll be fine. Tap water is safe, and anything you do beyond that is simply for taste preference. I prefer to boil mine and add a teabag In one place I lived, I used a charcoal filter because the water coming out of the tap smelled and tasted over-chlorinated, and I just didn't like that taste. The only people telling you that there's something unhealthy in your tap water are those trying to sell you expensive filtration or distillation equipment.

 

[Gokul43201]

But, the fact remains, water is water and as long as your body doesn't dehydrate, and there aren't any parasites in the water, you'll be fine.

So you disagree with the quote I provided in the previous post (and many others like that) ?

Saying 'water is water...' seems a little too casual.

I work a lot with 18 mega ohm DI water, and I know that it's corrosive as hell. A continuous drip over the weekend resulted in severe damage to our floor tiles. I've designed and built heat exchangers for our DI water, so I know a little about its corrosiveness...it will want to dissolve anything it can lay its hands on. That includes, not only CO2 and O2, but also any ionic salts as well as most metals.

Yes, distilled water is not 18 meg DI, and so is a lot safer. But I am merely raising objection to your statement that 'water is water...'.

 

[Evo]

I smoke, I drink tape water and alcohol, i have sex even before mariage. Damn, I'll die young and go to hell. At least, I enjoy my short life.

I didn't think Parisians drank tap water. I have family there and when I go to visit, they only drink bottled water.

You do live dangerously.

 

[humanino]

French people tend to drink more wine : older people almost drink only wine, that's amazing. And, american people tend to drink only diet soda : is it really safer ?

 

[Kalimaa23]

Besides, I'm pretty positive that tapwater in France, especially the north, can be trusted. This is western Europe, after all.

 

[Evo]

French people tend to drink more wine : older people almost drink only wine, that's amazing. And, american people tend to drink only diet soda : is it really safer ?

I found out that soda is bad for your teeth. I've started drinking more non carbonated drinks.

Funny, one town I lived in had terrible problems with the water supply becoming contaminated. I remember once getting a note from the water company advising it was safe to start drinking the water again, I never got the notice saying not to.

 

[humanino]

That's really fun ! You must have been worried for a while. Did not you sue ?

Dimitri : you are right. My parents live near Switzerland : tap water is just better than bottled water there. And their are even natural sources one can trust back there ! Do you imagine : some places are still free of pollution !

 

[Entropy]

Dude you're not just removing the bad stuff, but also essential minerials that are hard to get anyway else!

 

[Gokul43201]

Most sodas are fairly acidic, and in time, will dissolve enough of the teeth enamel to cause cavities and other problems.

Beer is okay, though !

http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/diet_soda.htm

http://www.coralcalcium.net/sodaph.html

 

[humanino]

Where are the references for the beer !?
Is Belgium beer even better for your health ?

 

[Evo]

Besides, I'm pretty positive that tapwater in France, especially the north, can be trusted. This is western Europe, after all.

I thought in Paris, it was the taste of the water, not safety. In the French Alps where one of my grandmothers lived, I drank tap water. I can't remember which I drank at my Aunt's villa in Nice.

 

[Kalimaa23]

Where are the references for the beer !?
Is Belgium beer even better for your health ?

You bet!
During the academic year, I usually survive on a strict diet of Belgian beer (ever heard of Geuze?) and French or Italian wine. And I'm as healty as they come.

 

[Gokul43201]

Where are the references for the beer !?

Okay, here u go : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/727912.stm

http://www.realbeer.com/edu/health/good-bad.php

Is Belgium beer even better for your health ?

Oh yeah, I drink Chimay all the time (had about a liter last night), and will vouch for its positive influences !

Now, why do I have this nasty headache ? Maybe something to do with getting too much exercise...

PS : This thread is getting hijacked (and I'm among the guilty) ... perhaps we should drop the beer and get back to distilled water ?

 

[humanino]

No no no. Stick to Chimay you indeed have excellent taste.

Dimitri : Geuze is very good too. I prefer Chimay. I like Delirium too. Distilled water has already been proven dangerous anyway.

 

[Tsu]

You guys ought to try the beer that Montana produces. It's a deLIGHTful little beer called... MOOSE DROOL! :surprise: (I'm SURE it's real GOOD for your teeth... )

 

[Tsu]

I thought in Paris, it was the taste of the water, not safety. In the French Alps where one of my grandmothers lived, I drank tap water. I can't remember which I drank at my Aunt's villa in Nice.

We need to go visit the family...

 

[Moonbear]

Most sodas are fairly acidic, and in time, will dissolve enough of the teeth enamel to cause cavities and other problems.

Beer is okay, though !

http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/diet_soda.htm

http://www.coralcalcium.net/sodaph.html

Gokul, is that de-I water any more acidic than soda? Soda is really acidic! I've seen household tips that suggest using it as a cleaning agent (for similar tasks as you might use vinegar for). You're right, you caught me being flippant with my water is water comment. I don't plan on drinking any of that de-I stuff anyway.

I don't like bottled water...it doesn't have any flavor! Yep, tap water is so much better. And if it comes with crustaceans, then it's free protein and calcium! Even better. And they add some crunch. Though, I then might want to boil those guys first, make sure they were cooked well. Don't want to eat raw or undercooked shellfish.

 

[BobG]

Okay, here u go : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/727912.stm

http://www.realbeer.com/edu/health/good-bad.php



Oh yeah, I drink Chimay all the time (had about a liter last night), and will vouch for its positive influences !

Now, why do I have this nasty headache ? Maybe something to do with getting too much exercise...

PS : This thread is getting hijacked (and I'm among the guilty) ... perhaps we should drop the beer and get back to distilled water ?

Couldn't we compromise and talk about beer made from really good water?

http://www.digitalfog.com/gallery/arrowhead_beer.htm

 

[Gokul43201]

Couldn't we compromise and talk about beer made from really good water?

http://www.digitalfog.com/gallery/arrowhead_beer.htm

 

[Evo]

Speaking of dangers of water. Are you aware of the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO)?

What is Dihydrogen Monoxide?

Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the unstable radical Hydroxide, the components of which are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.

What are some of the dangers associated with DHMO?

Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:

*Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.
*Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.
*Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically
life-threatening side-effects.
*DHMO is a major component of acid rain.
*Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.
*Contributes to soil erosion.
*Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.
*Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.
*Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
*Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.
*Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere.
*Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.

more - http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html