Distilled water is highly pure. It is free from any dissolved in-organics, bacteria, and chemicals in the water. Despite its high quality, it is not easy to determine whether or not distilled water is safe to drink. The effect of drinking distilled water has been an under-researched and frequently debated topic since ages as essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and sodium are removed from distilled water along with the harmful contaminants. To understand the advantages and disadvantages of distilled water, it’s necessary to consider water’s role in the body. Staying hydrated is crucial for maintaining good health but is drinking distilled water, rather than other types of water, a healthful option is explained below.
What exactly is distilled water?
It’s not that different from what flows out of your kitchen faucet. However, distilled water goes through a process that sets it apart from other types of H2O. Distilled water is water that has been purified using the process of distillation, which makes it 99.9% pure. Water distillation is as old as the generation of Aristotle. It was utilized to desalinate ocean water.
Can we drink distilled water?
Commonly, the answer to this question is yes; you can drink distilled water. When drinking water is purified using distillation, the next water would be cleaner and purer than the previous one. The water is then safe to drink. Whenever the minerals are needed, e.g., calcium or magnesium, the distilled water may be viewed as lesser compared to mineral water or spring water. However, if the source water contained traces of some amounts of harmful toxic organic compounds or heavy metals, you might need to drink distilled water instead of the source water.
In most cases, distilled water that you find at a supermarket was produced using drinking water, so it is acceptable to drink. Still, distilled water from different sources may not be safe to drink. For instance, if you take non-potable water from an industrial source and then distill it, the distilled water may contain enough pollutants that are hazardous for human usage. Similarly, another instance that could pollute distilled water comes from using the contaminated equipment. Contaminants could be acquired from equipment at any time of the distillation process, permitting undesirable chemicals. In drinking water, one thing one must consider is distilling the water twice (double distilled) to guarantee high purity. For a few scientists, they are concerned that the water may cause medical issues since it doesn’t contain essential minerals and particles that must be present in drinking water.
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Benefits of drinking distilled water:
Potential advantages to drinking distilled water include:
- Cleanses the body
- Reduce the risk of waterborne diseases
- Reduce the consumption of harmful chemicals
Disadvantages of drinking distilled water:
There are some risks posed by using distilled water as a sole method of hydrating your body. These are mainly connected to a lack of minerals, including magnesium and calcium. Some of the disadvantages include:
- Lack of taste
- Impaired metabolism
- Mineral replacement failure
- Changes to mineral, electrolyte, PH levels of tissues, and blood.
Possible effects of drinking distilled water on the body:
Low mineral content in distilled water can make a difference for athletes, the malnourished, or those who are sick and suffer from mineral deficiencies. As intense athletes sweat, they lose electrolytes rapidly. To stay hydrated, drinking water with minerals or a sports drink with added electrolytes may aid performance. If you’re sick and vomiting frequently, then your body also needs help replacing electrolytes. If you’re malnourished, then you need all the minerals you can get, and water may be your most available option.
Things to consider before drinking distilled water
When choosing drinking water, people may want to consider the following factors:
- The quality of the local tap water
- Taste preference
- Equality of vitamins and minerals in the diet
- Cost point
- Availability of other drinking water
What do doctors say about drinking distilled water:
Doctors deny most of the lies and deceptions about the health of drinking distilled water, such as it strips minerals from the body and may cause death. They say, with a few exceptions, drinking distilled water is safe.
Key Takeaways: Drinking Distilled Water
- Distilled water is water purified using distillation. In this process, different boiling points are used to separate components in the water.
- Generally, distilled water is safe to drink. However, it is not the best choice for drinking water.
- Distilled water contains fewer metals and minerals than its source water. Since some minerals are essential for human health, drinking distilled water may not be a healthy option.
- In some cases, distilled water is contaminated by chemicals from the still. This is more common in home distillation set-ups.
- Distilled water, like other bottled water, is susceptible to leaching from its container.
- Distilled water is a good choice for drinking water if the source water is contaminated by metals, volatile organic compounds, or fluoride.
Conclusion:
As you can see from the article mentioned above, Yes, You can drink distilled water. However, you should make sure you follow a healthy balanced diet as well; to make sure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs. This will also help you to decide whether distilled water is an excellent choice for your health or not by keeping in mind the above-mentioned factors.