Our modern day water supplies are often riddled with contaminants through pollution.
To combat the mess, many public water supplies are treated through the process of demineralization or water softening. These procedures require techniques such as reverse osmosis to rid the water of the harmful substances in them. Unfortunately, these methods also remove beneficial minerals and trace elements from the water. Our bodies rely on these micro-nutrients for many biochemical processes.
Mineral poor water is also highly unstable and corrosive to the materials it comes in contact with.
Source and Pollutants:
Drinking water comes from either groundwater, such as wells and boreholes, or from surface water like dams and rivers.
Landfills, leaking septic tanks, atmospheric pollutants and road salts are just some of the contributors of contaminated groundwater supply. Surface water gets its pollution mostly from dumping, mining activities, and rainwater runoff.
With all this contamination taking place, the need for water purification is on the rise. According to (World Health Organization, 2015) there are more than half a million mortalities per year caused by contaminated drinking water. It is, thus, wishful thinking to believe that your local well has no contaminants in it.
It is our human right to have access to clean water. The UN general assembly set it as one of their 'millennium development goals' to improve the range of safe drinking water to the public. The US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) prioritized setting regulations on the number of contaminants such as arsenic, cyanide, mercury, etc., that are present in public drinking water, in their Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
The levels and ratios of essential minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and sodium, is secondary, in importance, to contaminants according to that same act.
Preparation:
All prepared/treated water will first go through the process of disinfection using chlorination and ozonation.
Secondly, water is purified using reverse osmosis and filtration.
These processes all serve their purpose of removing unwanted substances from the water. Unfortunately, these methods also remove essential minerals and trace elements, used by the body.
Benefits of minerals:
The essential minerals, found in abundance within the unprocessed water are Sodium, Magnesium, and Calcium.
Sodium helps regulate fluid retention and water balance in the body. It is essential to every muscle contraction and neural impulse. Sodium is also known as an electrolyte which is lost through sweat and physical activity. Consumption of water is supposed to help replenish this deficit.
Magnesium regulates over 300 enzymes across all the major systems of our body, which translates to thousands of biochemical processes. From our DNA repair mechanisms to our metabolism of energy and insulin sensitivity, they all require magnesium to properly function. Sadly, 48% of the US population are consuming suboptimal amounts of magnesium on a daily basis (Rosanoff, Weaver and Rude, 2012). Perhaps the growing consumption of demineralized water is contributing to the deficiency of this mineral.
Calcium, as many know, is highly beneficial to bone and teeth health. This mineral also plays a role in the process of blood clotting and cell signaling. Calcium happens to rely on the presence of magnesium to perform many of its functions, though.
It is not a coincidence that these minerals are found together in water.
Interestingly, the elements found in water are free ions and therefore quickly absorbed by the body. This bio-availability of mineral water is superior when compared to over the counter nutritional supplements. Based on this fact alone, we can see the importance of drinking water to reach our daily allowance of these minerals.
Water, high in minerals is considered ‘hard.’ One of the overlooked benefits of 'hard water' is how stable its molecules are.
Mineral deficient water is very unstable and tends to be more corrosive on materials that they are stored in or passed through. There were three instances of lead poisoning in infants due to drinking water in the USA between 1993-1994. When investigated, all the cases were found to have mineral deficient water involved, which through its corrosive nature, pulled lead from the pipes.
According to a study by (Kozisek, n.d.), the use of mineral deficient (soft) water, while cooking, has been shown to remove up to 70% more minerals from food than mineral rich (hard) water.
Conclusion and Discussion:
With all these facts in mind, it is clear that the processes used to clean our drinking water are less than perfect, but, are still, in many cases, necessary.
It is, therefore, up to us, as the consumers, to ensure that the water is not only safe but, also healthy to drink. There are various ways we can do this.
First, we must have a guideline for the quantities of minerals that drinking water must contain. These instructions must compare to the mineral contents featured on the labels of bottled water or the municipal water in your area. The World Health Organisation has provided the recommended ranges for us. The table below contains the most important.
If the water does not fall within the ranges provided, then, it is necessary to find an available supply that does. Alternatively, we can supplement/replenish our water with the bio-available forms of minerals and trace elements. 'Concentrace' is a liquid form of a mineral supplement designed for this purpose.
As previously mentioned, safe, uncontaminated drinking water is our right. Healthy, mineral-rich drinking water, is, however, our responsibility.
Azoulay, A., Garzon, P. and Eisenberg, M. (2001). Comparison of the mineral content of tap water and bottled waters. J Gen Intern Med, [online] 16(3), pp.168-175. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1495189/
Rosanoff, A., Weaver, C. and Rude, R. (2012). Suboptimal magnesium status in the United States: are the health consequences underestimated?. Nutrition Reviews, 70(3), pp.153-164.
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