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Distilled Water for drinking
Hi All,
I've have also been seeking the truth about distilled water. I have found the subject to be more then a formidable opponent and also akin to something like who shot JFK! I see the billion dollar water industry has really muddied the waters with this debate leaving average folks in no mans land. With Billions to be made, there would indeed be a war of misinformation between bottled, tap, filtered and distilled water.
If you have anything solid knowledge of distilled water, then read my post that is on this page below. I would be very keen to hear anyone with solid knowledge about drinking distilled water.
http://www.procyclingwomen.com/Distiller/Debate.html
thanks,
CJ
I've have also been seeking the truth about distilled water. I have found the subject to be more then a formidable opponent and also akin to something like who shot JFK! I see the billion dollar water industry has really muddied the waters with this debate leaving average folks in no mans land. With Billions to be made, there would indeed be a war of misinformation between bottled, tap, filtered and distilled water.
If you have anything solid knowledge of distilled water, then read my post that is on this page below. I would be very keen to hear anyone with solid knowledge about drinking distilled water.
http://www.procyclingwomen.com/Distiller/Debate.html
thanks,
CJ
I worked for a company that used water in several processes of manufacturing and we had to check the water for various chemical and mineral compositions. To do this we used a lot of distilled water (~100 gallons every couple/three days). To keep up on this we had our own distiller running 24/7 and shut it down every few days to get rid of the mineral build up inside the distiller. We had the components to double and triple distill as well as to ionize if needed but I don't recall ever doing so.
I can't say anything about biology and distilled water but I was told the worse case scenario should you drink it would be that you might feel ill, which doesn't really say anything. Singly distilled water is safe to drink, in fact I'd go as far as triple distilled water is safe. However, I wouldn't drink more than a glass or two of any of them.
What distilled water will do is soak up any minerals it can and then it'll leave your system through urine. Again, I don't know enough about biology but knowing distilled water will soak up most any mineral it can automatically says it'll grab stuff from your body leaving you deficient of those minerals.
I can't say anything about biology and distilled water but I was told the worse case scenario should you drink it would be that you might feel ill, which doesn't really say anything. Singly distilled water is safe to drink, in fact I'd go as far as triple distilled water is safe. However, I wouldn't drink more than a glass or two of any of them.
What distilled water will do is soak up any minerals it can and then it'll leave your system through urine. Again, I don't know enough about biology but knowing distilled water will soak up most any mineral it can automatically says it'll grab stuff from your body leaving you deficient of those minerals.
Distilled water is not safe to drink. As the above post says, it will leach minerals out of your body. Spring water is real water, full of minerals collected over time as it runs underground along rocks. This is how water is supposed to be. Filtered water isn't distilled, it's filtered, taking out some of the toxins, though not nearly all of them. Distilled water uses heat to basically boil out all the minerals -- that's why it's used in car batteries, for example, because it doesn't have the minerals drinking water has to clog up the works. But the body needs minerals, and you don't want to leach them out, which is what'll happen if you drink distilled water regularly. Now, some people do it, particular those with particular conditions that require them to leach minerals out of their systems. but then they have to supplement heavily to get them back in. And distilled water has no taste, so it's not fun to drink. Real spring water has flavor. Filtered water is tap water that's been filtered mainly to get the chlorine out, but also some other heavy metals. It's safe to drink, as is tap water, but will still isn't clean water or natural water and doesn't taste as good as a good clean natural spring water. Of course, those are getting harder to find in this polluted world.
I found the so called Smoking Gun! Well, it's not bad. It's the first solid research papers I have come across on distilled water and TDS since I have been dragging the bottom of this Internet ocean. It's not bad either, mostly in laymen's language, although there is a fair amount of scienctific equations, a little advanced math, but nothing that hard to understand with a little diligence. This is the best evidence I have found on the Internet as of yet. After reading this, its quite astounding if it's true that no really solid studies of humans drinking distilled water for at least a five year period subjected to strict lab conditions and analysis has not been done where at least 50 or more subjects were involvled. I know that would be expensive and probably a government project, but isn't the truth about water worth it? However, other evidence presented here is reasonably compelling.
Anywhere, read this, it's reasonable proof that Distilled water is safe to drink.
http://www.procyclingwomen.com/Distiller/LowTDS.htm
Cheers!
Perhaps the best research I have seen against the use of drinking distilled water is this report by the WHO. However, several researchers don't believe it's a credible report, at least not enough to disprove the use of Distilled water. One of the best rebuttals to the article was done by the Canadian Water Association, which follows.
WHO
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutdemineralized.pdf
Canadian Association
http://www.cwqa.com/faq.php?section=cwqa&subsec=faq&question=3A
Cybernook
http://www.cyber-nook.com/water/DistilledWaterWHO.htm
Another take on this is given by a guy who I think has been behind the 8 ball for quite some time, but he has also yet to find anything completely definitive in researching Distilled water. However, these papers are pretty compelling.
I had also read the same report a while back. It's the most robust attack I have every read against distilled water based on research papers and such. I'm still on the fence about distilled water cause nobody seems to know for sure if it's really safe to drink, at least not by solidly backed research, but by experience many have claimed to drink it for years without problems while others say it really screwed them over royalty.
I have some first hand accounts from my Dad. He was in the Navy for 8 years during Pearl Harbor, WW2, Korean War. He spent many months out to sea, and they drank distilled water for months on end. Everyone on the ship drank it from the highest ranking on down. It was used for cooking too, everything from drinking to cooking. What the Navy reported on the surface in general for that 40 year period is very suspect, cause obviously they are not providing all the truth about distilled water. If they did, they would of reported that some seaman had trouble with their teeth from drinking distilled water according to my Dad who had first hand accounts of those times.
He was there and took photos when Eisenhower boarded some of the Cruise Ships. I got some swell color photos that are in excellent condition that are from that time, very old indeed. My Dad said this, and I questioned him a lot about it. He said the Navy was correct in what they reported in a general sense. That is that nobody really got ill, sick or had any problems or health problems drinking distilled water onboard Navy vessels during the 8 years he was out to sea. He drank a lot of distilled water for many months made from an onboard distiller using sea water. However, he did note that some navy crewman did have problems with their teeth and had to get them fixed, or treated.
What he doesn't know, is was it from a poor diet or from the actual physical contact of distilled water in your mouth, as I guess Seaman used it as a mouthwash too. Obviously what he meant is they lost minerals or calcium from their teeth, and probably had to get caps or crowns to protect those teeth.
I don't know if it was from using distilled water as a mouthwash or just from coming in contact with the teeth when they drank it. I am assuming they drank a lot of it, as they were very active onboard plus there was very few other things to drink, no luxuries. I am assuming more then likely, the problem with their teeth came from a lack of minerals in their diet.
I have seen photos of my Dad and other seaman from that period on those ships and they were extremely thin, skinny. Solid meals were a big problem back then. My Dad said they ate powdered eggs sometimes, and often the food was sparse and not very good, bad at times. Obviously their diets were also lacking out to sea when the good supplies ran out. Combined with drinking distilled water most of the time, I am guessing this was a lack of minerals in their diet that affected their teeth along with drinking distilled water. To what extent distilled water played a role, that is a mystery, but it seems to have a role.
I too wish I knew to what extent your body uses inorganic minerals in water, although we learned in basic biology that our body uses organic minerals from food. So yes, when you boil it all down, it’s about how much and how efficiently our bodies use minerals from water, including trace minerals.
The Electrolytes argument is an interesting one in the sense of if distilled water triggers a change in the way the body metabolism reacts to the displacement of those Electrolytes. I had read it diverts them to the stomach for digestion since this water has none, but I'm not sure what that actually means. I always thought electrolytes could be easily be replaced by drinking gatorade or various sports supplements like that which contain everything which typical athletes use.
The acidity argument is not really important it seems much anymore since those solutions are easy enough like adding baking soda, but the water is less acidic then a Pepsi and some of us drank those often enough. I have read those arguments about having to drink tons of water to get a days value of minerals for the RDA, but for some reason, there seems to be some connection there, and other sources say we get around 10 to 15 percent of our minerals from water, which is a pretty good slice especially for people on Navy Ships eating crappy food and drinking only distilled water.
I studied this quite a bit, and it seems that we don't understand distilled water well enough to drink it full time. However, it seems like a reasonable solution as a part time alternative source of drinking water. I suppose you could even mix it half and half with your filtered water, and that would at least cut the TDS in half, perhaps not a bad idea. My water is extremely hard, and it’s filtered before I drink it, although I have a distiller and was drinking distilled water part of the time.
I can't see myself drinking it full time, until I get solid science to back up this mineral/electrolyte debate. On the teeth, sure that concerns me. I haven't used Fluoride toothpaste in 15 years, and my dentist says my teeth are in better shape then most people my age. However, I have never drank water treated with either Chorine or Fluoride, since I always lived in the country drinking only well water.
Cheers!
WHO
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutdemineralized.pdf
Canadian Association
http://www.cwqa.com/faq.php?section=cwqa&subsec=faq&question=3A
Cybernook
http://www.cyber-nook.com/water/DistilledWaterWHO.htm
Another take on this is given by a guy who I think has been behind the 8 ball for quite some time, but he has also yet to find anything completely definitive in researching Distilled water. However, these papers are pretty compelling.
I had also read the same report a while back. It's the most robust attack I have every read against distilled water based on research papers and such. I'm still on the fence about distilled water cause nobody seems to know for sure if it's really safe to drink, at least not by solidly backed research, but by experience many have claimed to drink it for years without problems while others say it really screwed them over royalty.
I have some first hand accounts from my Dad. He was in the Navy for 8 years during Pearl Harbor, WW2, Korean War. He spent many months out to sea, and they drank distilled water for months on end. Everyone on the ship drank it from the highest ranking on down. It was used for cooking too, everything from drinking to cooking. What the Navy reported on the surface in general for that 40 year period is very suspect, cause obviously they are not providing all the truth about distilled water. If they did, they would of reported that some seaman had trouble with their teeth from drinking distilled water according to my Dad who had first hand accounts of those times.
He was there and took photos when Eisenhower boarded some of the Cruise Ships. I got some swell color photos that are in excellent condition that are from that time, very old indeed. My Dad said this, and I questioned him a lot about it. He said the Navy was correct in what they reported in a general sense. That is that nobody really got ill, sick or had any problems or health problems drinking distilled water onboard Navy vessels during the 8 years he was out to sea. He drank a lot of distilled water for many months made from an onboard distiller using sea water. However, he did note that some navy crewman did have problems with their teeth and had to get them fixed, or treated.
What he doesn't know, is was it from a poor diet or from the actual physical contact of distilled water in your mouth, as I guess Seaman used it as a mouthwash too. Obviously what he meant is they lost minerals or calcium from their teeth, and probably had to get caps or crowns to protect those teeth.
I don't know if it was from using distilled water as a mouthwash or just from coming in contact with the teeth when they drank it. I am assuming they drank a lot of it, as they were very active onboard plus there was very few other things to drink, no luxuries. I am assuming more then likely, the problem with their teeth came from a lack of minerals in their diet.
I have seen photos of my Dad and other seaman from that period on those ships and they were extremely thin, skinny. Solid meals were a big problem back then. My Dad said they ate powdered eggs sometimes, and often the food was sparse and not very good, bad at times. Obviously their diets were also lacking out to sea when the good supplies ran out. Combined with drinking distilled water most of the time, I am guessing this was a lack of minerals in their diet that affected their teeth along with drinking distilled water. To what extent distilled water played a role, that is a mystery, but it seems to have a role.
I too wish I knew to what extent your body uses inorganic minerals in water, although we learned in basic biology that our body uses organic minerals from food. So yes, when you boil it all down, it’s about how much and how efficiently our bodies use minerals from water, including trace minerals.
The Electrolytes argument is an interesting one in the sense of if distilled water triggers a change in the way the body metabolism reacts to the displacement of those Electrolytes. I had read it diverts them to the stomach for digestion since this water has none, but I'm not sure what that actually means. I always thought electrolytes could be easily be replaced by drinking gatorade or various sports supplements like that which contain everything which typical athletes use.
The acidity argument is not really important it seems much anymore since those solutions are easy enough like adding baking soda, but the water is less acidic then a Pepsi and some of us drank those often enough. I have read those arguments about having to drink tons of water to get a days value of minerals for the RDA, but for some reason, there seems to be some connection there, and other sources say we get around 10 to 15 percent of our minerals from water, which is a pretty good slice especially for people on Navy Ships eating crappy food and drinking only distilled water.
I studied this quite a bit, and it seems that we don't understand distilled water well enough to drink it full time. However, it seems like a reasonable solution as a part time alternative source of drinking water. I suppose you could even mix it half and half with your filtered water, and that would at least cut the TDS in half, perhaps not a bad idea. My water is extremely hard, and it’s filtered before I drink it, although I have a distiller and was drinking distilled water part of the time.
I can't see myself drinking it full time, until I get solid science to back up this mineral/electrolyte debate. On the teeth, sure that concerns me. I haven't used Fluoride toothpaste in 15 years, and my dentist says my teeth are in better shape then most people my age. However, I have never drank water treated with either Chorine or Fluoride, since I always lived in the country drinking only well water.
Cheers!
Distilled water, don't forget, does not have everything gone, There is still quite a bit of minerals in the water. Double and triple distilled water would be more dangerous, and I don't remember where "Ionized" water is on that scale (between xx and xxx or beyond xxx distilled water).
Distilled water has zero minerals in it, not sure where you came up with that but its only H20, with usually only a few parts per millions of any TDS. Double and Triple have various industy applications. Minerals don't carry over to the holding basin when vaporized, only VOC's do that. I'm not sure if you read any of my research and findings, but I am pretty well informed about this debate. However, I am always interested to hear more science on this from researchers and bio-chemists.
Don't forget the common sense application of caution. Animals including humans were not designed to drink empty water. Why take the risk unless there's a reason, such as a mineral you can't tolerate? Find a good reliable bottled water company that sells spring water in 5 gallon jugs, get it delivered to your house, and don't worry about it. Make sure the company supplies the dissolved solids, and don't buy Deer Park. Buy from a company that uses one hopefully fairly local spring. Mine comes from a spring that's been used continuously since American Indians used it. These springs are regulated, but I prefer certain methods aren't used, such as reverse osmosis, because it takes the taste out of the water. As long as the water passes inspection, that's the best we can do, whatever kind of water you drink, including tap water. If they're lying, well, not much we can do about it unless we have our own testing labs. But as I said earlier, real water tastes really good. Why not drink good tasting water? And different springs have different tastes -- like any other beverage.
Distilled water, as Paxiled pointed out, is not appropriate for humans.
It is difficult to locate water what is not fluoridated or chlorinated, yet still contains essential minerals, but this is what you should seek.
It is difficult to locate water what is not fluoridated or chlorinated, yet still contains essential minerals, but this is what you should seek.
Hey Guys,
I'm not worried, I am researching this. Obviously you guys are just throwing stuff out there with considering the research I have presented here. I am quite sure you haven't read any of it, and perhaps you don't have the time either, so be it. However what I did ask for orginally was if anyone has anything to add by way of research. Saying Distilled water is not fit for human consumption is just quoting what one side says against the others. Well guess what, the Mayo Clinic says distilled water is safe to drink as well as the US Navy and Coast Guard who drank it for 40 years without any problems. Since we get most of our minerals from food not water, I was hoping for something a little more interesting from this crowd here then the status quo.
I'm not worried, I am researching this. Obviously you guys are just throwing stuff out there with considering the research I have presented here. I am quite sure you haven't read any of it, and perhaps you don't have the time either, so be it. However what I did ask for orginally was if anyone has anything to add by way of research. Saying Distilled water is not fit for human consumption is just quoting what one side says against the others. Well guess what, the Mayo Clinic says distilled water is safe to drink as well as the US Navy and Coast Guard who drank it for 40 years without any problems. Since we get most of our minerals from food not water, I was hoping for something a little more interesting from this crowd here then the status quo.
A forum filled with non-scientists will result with non-science related answers. For your research you really should learn chemistry and biology which suggests getting answers from those with the science background.
I've always benn interested in astronomy and astrophysics (much like any other idiot). I was lucky in finding the local academy of science with an active astronomy section. The academy's are all over the US and only cost a couple dollars to join where you can learn many things at your own pace. Or, you could go to most any collage for a complete education.
I've always benn interested in astronomy and astrophysics (much like any other idiot). I was lucky in finding the local academy of science with an active astronomy section. The academy's are all over the US and only cost a couple dollars to join where you can learn many things at your own pace. Or, you could go to most any collage for a complete education.
I took biology and science in high school, and it's common knowledge about inorganic versus organic concerning TDS when it comes to water. It's doesn't require classes per say to understand that stuff. I not arguing in favor of either side cause I am researching this way beyond what most people do. My Doctor doesn't even know this much on the subject and he can't give a straight anwser either on the subject. The fact is there was a decent discussion on distilled water some time ago on this forum, so I thought there might be some new info or thoughts over here. For all the discussions I have seen on distilled water, I have yet to find anything conclusive either way about distilled water. Personally I can't believe how many people know so little about the subject of water, since it's so critical to living.
According to some sources, they say you would have to drink 600 glasses of water a day to get the RDA for what minerals are already provided for by food daily. The main argument stem from inorganic TDS in water provides nowhere near enough minerals to make a difference between distilled water and regular water. Second, the argument goes that these minerals are also not metabolized anywhere as efficiently as what our body does with food. Thirdly, there is the claim about the lack of electrolytes, but being a former athlete, I pretty sure this one is a distraction since its pretty easy to replace electrolytes. On the water being acidic, that one is a non starter since that can be so easily fixed by adding 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to a gallon of freshly made distilled water. I been around the bases with these claims, but if you got something interesting viewpoint that addresses the issues instead or parroting what been repeated by both sides over and over, that's what I was hoping to hear. Some fresh viewpoints on the subject. Surely people are still studying this, cause water including distilled drinking water is a 4 billion dollar industy. There are two camps and one camp is full of it as they both can't be right, because that would defy the laws of science. I offered two of the most compelling pages of research I have seen on the subject here presenting both sides, one from the WHO, and the other from Canada Water Association. They both cannot be right, one side is full of crap. However, I never rush to judgement when researching this, and a few scientists and bio-chemists have given their opinions on various forums, but I have not seem anything that compelling as of yet. I have seen some good debates here and there, but there has been very few really good threads on this issue of water.
According to some sources, they say you would have to drink 600 glasses of water a day to get the RDA for what minerals are already provided for by food daily. The main argument stem from inorganic TDS in water provides nowhere near enough minerals to make a difference between distilled water and regular water. Second, the argument goes that these minerals are also not metabolized anywhere as efficiently as what our body does with food. Thirdly, there is the claim about the lack of electrolytes, but being a former athlete, I pretty sure this one is a distraction since its pretty easy to replace electrolytes. On the water being acidic, that one is a non starter since that can be so easily fixed by adding 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to a gallon of freshly made distilled water. I been around the bases with these claims, but if you got something interesting viewpoint that addresses the issues instead or parroting what been repeated by both sides over and over, that's what I was hoping to hear. Some fresh viewpoints on the subject. Surely people are still studying this, cause water including distilled drinking water is a 4 billion dollar industy. There are two camps and one camp is full of it as they both can't be right, because that would defy the laws of science. I offered two of the most compelling pages of research I have seen on the subject here presenting both sides, one from the WHO, and the other from Canada Water Association. They both cannot be right, one side is full of crap. However, I never rush to judgement when researching this, and a few scientists and bio-chemists have given their opinions on various forums, but I have not seem anything that compelling as of yet. I have seen some good debates here and there, but there has been very few really good threads on this issue of water.
Look, the reason you're finding disputed info is because people who sell distilled water have put this out there, and because some people must use distilled water, so a lot of the research is directed at them. People who are sensitive to certain minerals simply have to drink distilled water. You're not one of them. You don't have to be a scientist, we all studied this in junior high, or at least we did way back when I was a kid, that water absorbs minerals. Water starts out fairly distilled, as rain, then goes underground for hundreds of years being filtered by rock and it from these rocks that water picks up the minerals. That's why natural spring water from different places will have different amounts of dissolved solids, and why it isn't recommended that one drink rain water for very long -- it hasn't been filtered. As for Navy personnel, they don't drink only distilled water, only when on duty, which isn't very long. They have to go back to port frequently for more fuel and provisions, so they don't just drink distilled water. And in wartime, more sailors and all members of the service die and get sick from nutritional deficiencies way more than they get injured or killed from battle. However, the end result here is obviously that you want to drink distilled water, and since it's a free country, go ahead. Personally, I managed health food stores for 18 years and in that time read more scientific monographs on more subjects than I care to look up anymore. Whole Foods put me out of of the business, and I've moved on. I had customers who drank distilled water, and as far as I know they didn't die of it, but given that water has the natural property of soaking up whatever is around to soak up until it's saturated, what do you think distilled water is going to do in your body? Now go and drink your distilled water and live long and healthfully, but stop belittling everyone here for trying to answer your question.
I'm not belittling anyone for not answering questions. I am belittling people who respond without even taking a moment to look at what I posted and the associated links, but instead just parroting what others have said. I am so far beyond that nonsense, that if anyone took a look at where my research is, they probably would refrain from embarrassing themselves. Probably many have stayed out of the fray after looking at my writings and links and have decided they cannot offer anything instead of parroting stuff. I respect people much more for that. In two other forums which had solid info and debates on distilled water in the past, after I also posted diligently about my findings, not a single person said a word, just incredible. I respect that, because everyone who looks at my posts and links decided they can't offer anything more and refrained from parroting. However, forums show how many people read these threads, and the numbers were good, just no one replied cause they mostly don't have anything new on these issues. Many are still seeking the truth about distilled water.
Do you think I am not aware that water is a 4 billion dollar industry and that's why there is much misinformation and confusion about distilled water? If you had read any of my writings, and see what resources and debates I had already read, you would understand better about where i am on this topic. Oviously you didn't do that and I don't blame you if you don't have the time. However, if you enter the fray, I would expect you to know where I am coming from. Let me respond briefly to a few things you said. I don't need the grade school biology lesson, as I am way beyond that point, please, thank you.
As for rain water, I'm not that stupid and would never drink that. On natural springs, I have well water in the mountains, and there are springs around here. They are not all safe to drink. People think cause its spring water or well water, that it is somehow divine and magically safe to drink. If you did a little research you would find out many, many wells and springs are not safe to drink cause they are way, way too many parts per million of TDS in them. I am talking about water so heavy in Iron and calcium that it comes out of tap orange, and even after filtered clogs you water cooler with tons of white calcium. That water would kill you in time, its very unfit to drink.
There are many wells like this in the mountains. Indeed, I have another well near a creek where the water comes out extremely dirty orange, iron sulfates and such and smells like rotton eggs. If you are suggesting most wells and spring water is somehow magically perfect for drinking, you obviosly haven't lived in the mountains or haven't been around many wells or springs much. All over the world, many water sources are unfit to drink, even in their natural state. People can't seem to wrap their brains around this.
You made some basic claims about the mineral leeching debate, but I'm not sure how much you care to know about the subject. My Dad was in the Navy for 8 years and from his accounts, no one every suffered health problems from drinking distilled water. It was the food which was bad, not the water. The Navy has said the same about distilled water, but let's me put the issues into the spotlight for some fresh research.
The acidity argument is stupid beyond belief. That one doesn't even fly anymore to me. All you have to do is add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to each gallon of distilled water you make to bring it to a neutral 7 PH. However they lie when they say distilled water in not acidic because it is, usually it runs from 4.8 to 6.
The electrolytes argument doesn't work very well either in my opinion. I was an athlete so I know what its like to feel your body hit the wall from the lack of electrolytes which is easily fixed by Gatorade or other sports drinks. I tested this theory, and after drinking distilled water for one month, I did indeed feel a loss of some electrolytes I believe, but I felt better the same day just by consuming more then usual, bananas, salty energy bars, or even a gatorade can work. If one can replace electrolytes quickly, then this argument is stupid beyond belief.
Do you think I am not aware that water is a 4 billion dollar industry and that's why there is much misinformation and confusion about distilled water? If you had read any of my writings, and see what resources and debates I had already read, you would understand better about where i am on this topic. Oviously you didn't do that and I don't blame you if you don't have the time. However, if you enter the fray, I would expect you to know where I am coming from. Let me respond briefly to a few things you said. I don't need the grade school biology lesson, as I am way beyond that point, please, thank you.
As for rain water, I'm not that stupid and would never drink that. On natural springs, I have well water in the mountains, and there are springs around here. They are not all safe to drink. People think cause its spring water or well water, that it is somehow divine and magically safe to drink. If you did a little research you would find out many, many wells and springs are not safe to drink cause they are way, way too many parts per million of TDS in them. I am talking about water so heavy in Iron and calcium that it comes out of tap orange, and even after filtered clogs you water cooler with tons of white calcium. That water would kill you in time, its very unfit to drink.
There are many wells like this in the mountains. Indeed, I have another well near a creek where the water comes out extremely dirty orange, iron sulfates and such and smells like rotton eggs. If you are suggesting most wells and spring water is somehow magically perfect for drinking, you obviosly haven't lived in the mountains or haven't been around many wells or springs much. All over the world, many water sources are unfit to drink, even in their natural state. People can't seem to wrap their brains around this.
You made some basic claims about the mineral leeching debate, but I'm not sure how much you care to know about the subject. My Dad was in the Navy for 8 years and from his accounts, no one every suffered health problems from drinking distilled water. It was the food which was bad, not the water. The Navy has said the same about distilled water, but let's me put the issues into the spotlight for some fresh research.
The acidity argument is stupid beyond belief. That one doesn't even fly anymore to me. All you have to do is add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to each gallon of distilled water you make to bring it to a neutral 7 PH. However they lie when they say distilled water in not acidic because it is, usually it runs from 4.8 to 6.
The electrolytes argument doesn't work very well either in my opinion. I was an athlete so I know what its like to feel your body hit the wall from the lack of electrolytes which is easily fixed by Gatorade or other sports drinks. I tested this theory, and after drinking distilled water for one month, I did indeed feel a loss of some electrolytes I believe, but I felt better the same day just by consuming more then usual, bananas, salty energy bars, or even a gatorade can work. If one can replace electrolytes quickly, then this argument is stupid beyond belief.
Last argument is minerals, and its a solid valid argument. True we get most from food, but some research I have seen suggest we get 10 to 15 percent from water which doesn't jive with those statements that say we need to drink 600 cups a day to get the daily RDA. Somebody is full of crap. Yeah, I have also read the body does not metabolize these inorganic minerals very well compared to food. That might not be true. We do get more better organic minerals from food then inorganic from water, but I am not convinced that inorganic dissolved TDS in water are not processed very well by our bodies. Reason why is because electrolytes drinks with various minerals and such like Gatorade and other powder mixes which are manmade obviously are metabolized very quickly for performance, so the idea that those already present as dissolved TDS in water cannot be metabolized seems like a contradiction. I want more research on that.
However, that doesn't bother me cause its probably true that we don't get enough minerals or electrolytes from water to make hardly any difference to the current daily RDA and state of our metabolisms (IF) we are eating a good healthy diet. I just think the (BIG) problem is that most people do not eat a daily healthy diet, and probably many do not take any supplements either. Based on that, there bodies take whatever it can get from water, and when you take that away, their bodies cries even more and they claim distilled water is making them sick. I think more then likely, its their daily diet instead. However, I have heard of a change in the body metabolism since electrolytes are diverted to the stomach for digestion since distilled water doesn't have any. I would like to know if that change has any significance on body functions.
The flip side of that coin concerns me more. In fact, this the one issue that really concerns me and I have not figured it out yet, cause i am not a scientist and I don't trust either side based on the zero lack of research. I have read a few papers, but it's not conclusive. That is (if) distilled water leeches minerals from your body. This does concern me to if it's true and how much. We don't really know. If it takes bad minerals then that is great for all those detox water regimens. If it doesn't then that would affirm distilled water is safe to drink in at least one sense because then that means it does not leech minerals from your body, however it wouldn't detox either.
After reading a ton, I believe it probably does leech minerals which can detox the body, but if its pulling stuff out at the cellar level, then that's bad. Most research I have read says it does not pull out minerals at the celluar level, but only the excess minerals your body discards. If that's true, then that's good. However if it pulls at the cellular level then it would be a constant battle to stock up on minerals through a good diet, while all the time distilled water is constantly pulling them out, and that would be bad. I had read a bio-chemist lost some bone mass after five years, but I have not been able to ask him more questions. He was drinking acidic distilled water for five years and didn't think about it being acidic, hard to believe. Another guy said he also drank it for five years and it really messed him up. However, we don't know what he was doing or his diet. Did his diet mess him up? Was it acidic, not buffered. I believe drinking acidic distilled water is probably not a good idea, it should be buffered.
I do know the chemist still drinks distilled water, but he changed a few things in what he thinks is perfect water for him. He adds baking soda for acidity, and he adds trace minerals through liquid electrolytes he gets at the health food store, and he said he adds calcium or potassium citrate I believe it was. I have heard others add rice or sea salt to add some trace minerals back in. The trace mineral part of the argument interests me.
I am not completely sure about how important it is to add minerals back to distilled water as of yet. I want to see more research on this leeching thing, so we can know exactly what the implications are. However remember once we add anything to distilled water, it's no longer distilled water! The good news is that to start with, distilled water removes everything bad, and at least that's a clean state to start with. I cannot believe we cannot create water from that point in terms of what our body needs. To say only nature has the magic formula seems silly, cause most wells are not perfect, and range widely with TDS, many are not fit to drink worldwide. The argument that only natural water from springs is best is absurd to say the least, IMO.
The best research I have found are these two, one from the WHO, and other in favor of distilled water from the Canadian Water Association.
Bascially if Distilled water doesn't leech at the cellular level, then the case is closed. All we would have to worry about is getting enough minerals from a balanced diet. The Electrolytes thing would be the lesser of the two evils in this debate, but I am always open to hear more about this. Those can be replaced quickly, as where replacing minerals in the bones and at cellular level, much longer. That part of the research is critical, IMO.
However, that doesn't bother me cause its probably true that we don't get enough minerals or electrolytes from water to make hardly any difference to the current daily RDA and state of our metabolisms (IF) we are eating a good healthy diet. I just think the (BIG) problem is that most people do not eat a daily healthy diet, and probably many do not take any supplements either. Based on that, there bodies take whatever it can get from water, and when you take that away, their bodies cries even more and they claim distilled water is making them sick. I think more then likely, its their daily diet instead. However, I have heard of a change in the body metabolism since electrolytes are diverted to the stomach for digestion since distilled water doesn't have any. I would like to know if that change has any significance on body functions.
The flip side of that coin concerns me more. In fact, this the one issue that really concerns me and I have not figured it out yet, cause i am not a scientist and I don't trust either side based on the zero lack of research. I have read a few papers, but it's not conclusive. That is (if) distilled water leeches minerals from your body. This does concern me to if it's true and how much. We don't really know. If it takes bad minerals then that is great for all those detox water regimens. If it doesn't then that would affirm distilled water is safe to drink in at least one sense because then that means it does not leech minerals from your body, however it wouldn't detox either.
After reading a ton, I believe it probably does leech minerals which can detox the body, but if its pulling stuff out at the cellar level, then that's bad. Most research I have read says it does not pull out minerals at the celluar level, but only the excess minerals your body discards. If that's true, then that's good. However if it pulls at the cellular level then it would be a constant battle to stock up on minerals through a good diet, while all the time distilled water is constantly pulling them out, and that would be bad. I had read a bio-chemist lost some bone mass after five years, but I have not been able to ask him more questions. He was drinking acidic distilled water for five years and didn't think about it being acidic, hard to believe. Another guy said he also drank it for five years and it really messed him up. However, we don't know what he was doing or his diet. Did his diet mess him up? Was it acidic, not buffered. I believe drinking acidic distilled water is probably not a good idea, it should be buffered.
I do know the chemist still drinks distilled water, but he changed a few things in what he thinks is perfect water for him. He adds baking soda for acidity, and he adds trace minerals through liquid electrolytes he gets at the health food store, and he said he adds calcium or potassium citrate I believe it was. I have heard others add rice or sea salt to add some trace minerals back in. The trace mineral part of the argument interests me.
I am not completely sure about how important it is to add minerals back to distilled water as of yet. I want to see more research on this leeching thing, so we can know exactly what the implications are. However remember once we add anything to distilled water, it's no longer distilled water! The good news is that to start with, distilled water removes everything bad, and at least that's a clean state to start with. I cannot believe we cannot create water from that point in terms of what our body needs. To say only nature has the magic formula seems silly, cause most wells are not perfect, and range widely with TDS, many are not fit to drink worldwide. The argument that only natural water from springs is best is absurd to say the least, IMO.
The best research I have found are these two, one from the WHO, and other in favor of distilled water from the Canadian Water Association.
Bascially if Distilled water doesn't leech at the cellular level, then the case is closed. All we would have to worry about is getting enough minerals from a balanced diet. The Electrolytes thing would be the lesser of the two evils in this debate, but I am always open to hear more about this. Those can be replaced quickly, as where replacing minerals in the bones and at cellular level, much longer. That part of the research is critical, IMO.
From my past experience and from all I have read, distilled water is not safe to drink. I tried some once, and it was horrible. The best water is Spring water, as Paxiled and others have said, it is pure, and has all the nutrients needed, plus taste so good. Distilled water is empty of all nutrients and I just felt "funny" drinking it.
Look, you've never said why you'd want to drink distilled water. There's no purpose to it, as tap water filtered for its most toxic parts has been certified as safe by everyone, including environmentalists who don't like the waste of the containers used in selling bottled water. So there's no safety reason in drinking distilled. As for minerals, nobody drinks water for minerals. Now, sea water does have every mineral the body needs, but you can't drink salt water, so you get that by eating seaweed. But of course, you only eat edible seaweed, just as you only drink spring water that is certified by the state and regularly inspected. Well water isn't spring water, it's well water, so that's completely out of this discussion. Your Dad is one guy, that's just aneccdotal, not scientific evidence, and as I've already said, sailors don't exclusively drink distilled water, only when they're out to sea. So that's irrelevant. But there are people who must drink distilled, as I've said, and we sold a lot of distilled water to these people because they wanted distilled spring water, not distilled tap water. But they did this for health reasons, and had to supplement heavily to compensate. But again, you aren't going to solve this scientifically because nobody cares. We have tap water, and as much as we often disparage it, and I won't drink it much, the invention of modern water treatment accounts for an estimated 70 to 80 percent of our extended lives since they started doing it at the turn of the 20th century. But again, nobody's telling you not to drink distilled water as an experiment on yourself, we're just saying, and everyone is saying this who has responded to you, that distilled water over the long term isn't considered safe. Since caution is usually best when it comes to health, I still don't know why you are determined to drink distilled, but if that's what you want to do, go ahead, and report to us in ten years how it's affected you. Not the few months a sailor is out to sea, but for years of use. That's how health sneaks up on you. So good luck to you and your experiment, and I hope it proves out. As for me, I'm going to go downstairs and have a tasty drink of West Virginia spring water.
I agree with those who are against distilled water. What we do is filter our tap water and add liquid trace minerals to it - one tablespoon per gallon. We have been doing that for several years and all sorts of minor complaints have disappeared - liver spots, rough calluses, minor skin disturbances, etc.
Paxiled,
If you read my original page I created as a post, you would know why I am interested in researching distilled water. The reason I didn't post that page as an original Medhelp post is because I know it was too long for the 8000 character limit. Also besides that original post I created a link for it on a simple HTML page I created. I also offered a link to my original distiller research page. I don't fault you for giving your opinion or answering questions, but since you are asking me questions I have already answered at reasonable lengths on those pages along with my inquires for this thread, I do fault you for not reading that. That means you are wasting my time and not reading what I wrote, as you did enter the fray here. Since you are most active in this thread and if you really wanted to answer inline with my thoughts and inquires, you would of read that, instead of just parroting and taking a defensive position. I do belittle people for not reading what the original poster writes, and instead just parroting what one camp says against the other. Let me make it very clear, I am in neither camp, cause I told you I am researching this. As Sergeant Friday said, just the facts mamm. That doesn't mean I have discounted what you said, just rather your replies were more precise in line with what I wrote. I didn't come to Medhelp looking for simple advice. I know there has been many quality threads in this forum.
You said there is no reason to drink distilled water and that nobody cares about it. That's absurd. Distilled water is part of that 4 billion dollar industry, and many, many companies sell distillers to people all the world who care very much about it, and they use it, drink it, and so on, an on. Environmentalists are all over the map on many issues, I know cause we live in Sierra Club country, tree huggers paradise. I am following your post, what you said, however you have not read it seems any of my original pages, but still I care enough to respond to your. On sea water, correct, sea salt seems to have like 80 trace minerals in it, and some people put a small amount in their distilled water, although I am not sure it matters as they could just add it to their food.
I never said well water is spring water. I know about springs around here as I have drank for them before. I can tell you they are not all safe to drink from. Some are very hard, containing much too much iron, calcium, various sulfur compounds that make the water smell bad and the color is usually orange. This is spring water too, but it is unfit to drink. If you think all spring water is safe to drink, you need to either get first hand experience of do some research. By the same token, all wells are not safe either. I know, cause i have two wells, and one is extremely hard water, not safe to drink. the TDS in that water is extremely high. You do know you can't drink dirt, don't you? Water cannot be over 400 parts per million of anything I believe before its gets really nasty. Clearer spring or well water containing 50 to 100 parts per million of TDS is deemed reasonably safe to drink, but like you said, we are talking about distilled water.
On my Dad, if you read what the WHO wrote, or if you read what the water association wrote by Lee Rozelle, not to mention the Canadian Water association, you would of seen it mentioned 3 times, that the official report of the US Navy from the top brass states that in 40 years of naval vessels out to see, no one ever experience long term health effects by drinking distilled water according to their records.
http://www.procyclingwomen.com/Distiller/LowTDS.htm
My Dad was in the Korean War, Pearl Harbor, ect, WW2, and they were not just out to sea for months, but for many years they spent most of their time out to sea drinking distilled water. Over 8 years, the only think he noticed were a few people had trouble with their teeth, but I am pretty sure that had to do with a bad diet, cause they even ate powedered eggs, powdered potatos, etc. They rarely had any fresh fruits of veggies during the war. The research I have found recently is stated that distilled water has not any external effect on one's teeth, so I believe the problem from their teeth came from a bad diet, not the water.
http://www.rfidtechcouncil.org/articles/distilled-water-had-no-effect-on-the-teeth.html
When you say they have to supplement heavy to compensate drinking distilled water, that flys in the face of the fact you said nobody drinks distilled water for minerals. If what you said was true, there would be no reason for them to compensate additional mineral supplements, etc. That makes no sense at all. You can't have to both ways. It either doesn't matter or it does.
If you read my original page I created as a post, you would know why I am interested in researching distilled water. The reason I didn't post that page as an original Medhelp post is because I know it was too long for the 8000 character limit. Also besides that original post I created a link for it on a simple HTML page I created. I also offered a link to my original distiller research page. I don't fault you for giving your opinion or answering questions, but since you are asking me questions I have already answered at reasonable lengths on those pages along with my inquires for this thread, I do fault you for not reading that. That means you are wasting my time and not reading what I wrote, as you did enter the fray here. Since you are most active in this thread and if you really wanted to answer inline with my thoughts and inquires, you would of read that, instead of just parroting and taking a defensive position. I do belittle people for not reading what the original poster writes, and instead just parroting what one camp says against the other. Let me make it very clear, I am in neither camp, cause I told you I am researching this. As Sergeant Friday said, just the facts mamm. That doesn't mean I have discounted what you said, just rather your replies were more precise in line with what I wrote. I didn't come to Medhelp looking for simple advice. I know there has been many quality threads in this forum.
You said there is no reason to drink distilled water and that nobody cares about it. That's absurd. Distilled water is part of that 4 billion dollar industry, and many, many companies sell distillers to people all the world who care very much about it, and they use it, drink it, and so on, an on. Environmentalists are all over the map on many issues, I know cause we live in Sierra Club country, tree huggers paradise. I am following your post, what you said, however you have not read it seems any of my original pages, but still I care enough to respond to your. On sea water, correct, sea salt seems to have like 80 trace minerals in it, and some people put a small amount in their distilled water, although I am not sure it matters as they could just add it to their food.
I never said well water is spring water. I know about springs around here as I have drank for them before. I can tell you they are not all safe to drink from. Some are very hard, containing much too much iron, calcium, various sulfur compounds that make the water smell bad and the color is usually orange. This is spring water too, but it is unfit to drink. If you think all spring water is safe to drink, you need to either get first hand experience of do some research. By the same token, all wells are not safe either. I know, cause i have two wells, and one is extremely hard water, not safe to drink. the TDS in that water is extremely high. You do know you can't drink dirt, don't you? Water cannot be over 400 parts per million of anything I believe before its gets really nasty. Clearer spring or well water containing 50 to 100 parts per million of TDS is deemed reasonably safe to drink, but like you said, we are talking about distilled water.
On my Dad, if you read what the WHO wrote, or if you read what the water association wrote by Lee Rozelle, not to mention the Canadian Water association, you would of seen it mentioned 3 times, that the official report of the US Navy from the top brass states that in 40 years of naval vessels out to see, no one ever experience long term health effects by drinking distilled water according to their records.
http://www.procyclingwomen.com/Distiller/LowTDS.htm
My Dad was in the Korean War, Pearl Harbor, ect, WW2, and they were not just out to sea for months, but for many years they spent most of their time out to sea drinking distilled water. Over 8 years, the only think he noticed were a few people had trouble with their teeth, but I am pretty sure that had to do with a bad diet, cause they even ate powedered eggs, powdered potatos, etc. They rarely had any fresh fruits of veggies during the war. The research I have found recently is stated that distilled water has not any external effect on one's teeth, so I believe the problem from their teeth came from a bad diet, not the water.
http://www.rfidtechcouncil.org/articles/distilled-water-had-no-effect-on-the-teeth.html
When you say they have to supplement heavy to compensate drinking distilled water, that flys in the face of the fact you said nobody drinks distilled water for minerals. If what you said was true, there would be no reason for them to compensate additional mineral supplements, etc. That makes no sense at all. You can't have to both ways. It either doesn't matter or it does.
When you say nobody cares, you should know in the mountains supermarkets sell tons of distilled water to people who drink it. They care a lot, cause their well or spring water is too dirty to drink. Some use RO systems, but many drink distilled water. You say I am not going to solve this scientifically, but I am not trying to either. I am not a scientist. However, I can research it and consider the finding of scientists and other researchers, and weigh the evidence and their findings. Problem is, scientists are working for both sides cause it's a 4 billion dollar industry. There is big money to be made and that is why there is some much confusion and lies told about water in various forms. There are two sides to the distilled water camp, the truth should reside in one camp, the other camps are full of crap, it's that simple when it comes to pure science. However, I agree that it seems some of those in the distilled water camp don't quite got all their facts straight either, so the debate and discussion to get at the truth goes on.
So far, I got a reasonable idea what the crucial sticking points are, but no one has presented solid research in laymen's language to prove anything either way except a few documents I managed to find recently. However, I have found at least three documents of research which seems reasonably compelling about if distilled water is fit to drink. As for it tasting flat, that's myth. The first time I tasted it, it tasted fine to me. It is after all just water, although I am not sure it quenches ones thirst any better then regular water.
On those who have responded that distilled water is not safe, nobody has provided any solid findings to back up their claims here, while I have. If replies here say it is not safe or fit to drink, they it would be nice for them to share something here to back up their claims or otherwise again, they are just parroting what others have said, bandwagon thing. I'm not that stupid enough to just jump on the bandwagon. As I have said, I am researching this issue. You say no one is telling me not to drink it, but if you read the posts, everyone is telling me not to drink it either directly, or by proxy.
If people here who content that distilled water is not safe over the long term, then they need to share their findings here. Again, I don't follow the pied piper. I never said I was detemined to drink distilled water. I am RESEARCHING IT! If I find solid proof and evidence, research that distilled water is not fit to drink because it leeches minerals, then I will create low TDS mineral water from distilled water, cause my well water is not fit to drink as I told you. I use filters, but they don't last long getting plugged up quickly with large amounts of TDS. I am guessing my well water is probably above 800 parts per million of TDS before it's filtered. Also distilling kills bacteria, and that's good since my water travels through 1000 feet of line from the well before it comes out the tap.
I have heard of people who died when they came home from a long vacation and then drank water that came out of a filter that has been dormant for many weeks sitting with water in it. The bacteria in it killed them. Filters are a breeding ground for bacteria, and if you saw my distiller page, you would of seen what my filters look like after a short time. I have no choice but to engineer water on my own for drinking. The fact is distilled water is the safest to start with at least as a base. The question is, can one create water with low TDS if needed that is fit for drinking adding trace minerals and electrolytes, (If Needed!) I would first have to conclude that distilled water is unsafe to drink, and so far from the research I have done, there is many more voices that say it's safe, then those who say it is not. Even Dr. Weil from the Wellness Institute and the Mayo Clinic says that distilled water is safe to drink. Those are credible sources.
The whole basis of the research is to see if it's even necessary to add minerals and electrolytes to distilled water. If not, then one can drink distilled water and get his minerals and electrolytes from a good diet and sports drinks if needed. Some companies use distilled water as their base to create their beverages, although not all. Randy, the guy from Cybernook seems to have done the most research from a laymen's standpoint that I have seen as of yet to date on the Internet, where he shares his findings about distilled water. What it boiled down to on the mineral and leeching argument is this. What is the state of distilled water at the time it reaches your stomach? That'a a good point, cause distilled water is only H20 in it's purist form. As soon as it hits the air, it starts to react with carbon dioxide and become slightly acidic which is not a problem in itself. The acidic argument is nil, but from the time it hit you mouth until it hits you stomach is an interesting question cause it's already changing from distilled water in a form of TDS it picks up along the way.
Once it hits your stomach, the acid content is like zero on the PH scale, extremely acidic. Then what are the changes to the distilled water inside your stomach before it enters your the lower intestines and such. Sometimes food and water can stay in your stomach for a very long time, and that makes it highly suspect that distilled water would of retained any of it's leeching properties by the time it exits. This was also the point my doctor made, is what do you think happens to distilled water when it hits your stomach acid chamber? He knows a little about bio-chemistry as a doctor and he thinks it's silly argument that distilled water leeches anything from the body, because it's the liver and kidneys that does the filtering. Water is simply an aid to digestion in his view, and he doesn't believe distilled water can leech anything at the cellular level. If we can find out what the changes are to distilled water once it hits these chambers, then we can know what it's capable of doing, if anything. Randy was on the right road with his research.
Sorry if I was bit rude at times, but this is important.
So far, I got a reasonable idea what the crucial sticking points are, but no one has presented solid research in laymen's language to prove anything either way except a few documents I managed to find recently. However, I have found at least three documents of research which seems reasonably compelling about if distilled water is fit to drink. As for it tasting flat, that's myth. The first time I tasted it, it tasted fine to me. It is after all just water, although I am not sure it quenches ones thirst any better then regular water.
On those who have responded that distilled water is not safe, nobody has provided any solid findings to back up their claims here, while I have. If replies here say it is not safe or fit to drink, they it would be nice for them to share something here to back up their claims or otherwise again, they are just parroting what others have said, bandwagon thing. I'm not that stupid enough to just jump on the bandwagon. As I have said, I am researching this issue. You say no one is telling me not to drink it, but if you read the posts, everyone is telling me not to drink it either directly, or by proxy.
If people here who content that distilled water is not safe over the long term, then they need to share their findings here. Again, I don't follow the pied piper. I never said I was detemined to drink distilled water. I am RESEARCHING IT! If I find solid proof and evidence, research that distilled water is not fit to drink because it leeches minerals, then I will create low TDS mineral water from distilled water, cause my well water is not fit to drink as I told you. I use filters, but they don't last long getting plugged up quickly with large amounts of TDS. I am guessing my well water is probably above 800 parts per million of TDS before it's filtered. Also distilling kills bacteria, and that's good since my water travels through 1000 feet of line from the well before it comes out the tap.
I have heard of people who died when they came home from a long vacation and then drank water that came out of a filter that has been dormant for many weeks sitting with water in it. The bacteria in it killed them. Filters are a breeding ground for bacteria, and if you saw my distiller page, you would of seen what my filters look like after a short time. I have no choice but to engineer water on my own for drinking. The fact is distilled water is the safest to start with at least as a base. The question is, can one create water with low TDS if needed that is fit for drinking adding trace minerals and electrolytes, (If Needed!) I would first have to conclude that distilled water is unsafe to drink, and so far from the research I have done, there is many more voices that say it's safe, then those who say it is not. Even Dr. Weil from the Wellness Institute and the Mayo Clinic says that distilled water is safe to drink. Those are credible sources.
The whole basis of the research is to see if it's even necessary to add minerals and electrolytes to distilled water. If not, then one can drink distilled water and get his minerals and electrolytes from a good diet and sports drinks if needed. Some companies use distilled water as their base to create their beverages, although not all. Randy, the guy from Cybernook seems to have done the most research from a laymen's standpoint that I have seen as of yet to date on the Internet, where he shares his findings about distilled water. What it boiled down to on the mineral and leeching argument is this. What is the state of distilled water at the time it reaches your stomach? That'a a good point, cause distilled water is only H20 in it's purist form. As soon as it hits the air, it starts to react with carbon dioxide and become slightly acidic which is not a problem in itself. The acidic argument is nil, but from the time it hit you mouth until it hits you stomach is an interesting question cause it's already changing from distilled water in a form of TDS it picks up along the way.
Once it hits your stomach, the acid content is like zero on the PH scale, extremely acidic. Then what are the changes to the distilled water inside your stomach before it enters your the lower intestines and such. Sometimes food and water can stay in your stomach for a very long time, and that makes it highly suspect that distilled water would of retained any of it's leeching properties by the time it exits. This was also the point my doctor made, is what do you think happens to distilled water when it hits your stomach acid chamber? He knows a little about bio-chemistry as a doctor and he thinks it's silly argument that distilled water leeches anything from the body, because it's the liver and kidneys that does the filtering. Water is simply an aid to digestion in his view, and he doesn't believe distilled water can leech anything at the cellular level. If we can find out what the changes are to distilled water once it hits these chambers, then we can know what it's capable of doing, if anything. Randy was on the right road with his research.
Sorry if I was bit rude at times, but this is important.
Don't care if you're disagreeing with me, that's not rude. When I said nobody cares, I meant nobody cares to do much research on it. I wasn't clear on that. That's the problem with food, natural remedies, water, etc. There's very little money to do the kind of research you're looking for because there's little money in it. The big money is in patented products, so that's where the research money goes. That's what I meant. As for the materials you keep referring to, they're fine but they don't have anything to do with your question here, which is what we're all trying very hard to answer and have all answered the same way. And no sailor is on a ship for years -- you'd die. You'd run out of food. In WWII people didn't serve overseas that long. We had a draft, and plenty of people to fight with. Not like now, where people are on their fourth and fifth rotations. Land soldiers were rotated back and forth as well. So no, they didn't just drink distilled water for years, only when on shipboard. So that study isn't the long-term study you want, and it probably doesn't exist, which is what I meant by nobody cares to learn about food, water, and such. It's a profit-driven society here. You'll probably find some good research in foreign countries that do more general research than the US does now, particularly regarding water-short parts of the world and desalinization studies on what to do when we run out of potable water in parts of the world. And again, I said spring water that is commercially sold, and therefore inspected and certified by state agencies and that lists the dissolved solids, not just any old spring lying around, though some of those are probably fine and some aren't. Given that the entire world is polluted, you won't find pure water anywhere without distilling it. My worry is that over the long term, given the property of water to absorb whatever is there to absorb, you will leach minerals, but you can replenish them. Perhaps you can find studies on those people who have mineral sensitivities and have to drink distilled water and what they do to compensate. As I said, I had a few customers who were like that. Now I'd again like to finish this thread, as nobody here can answer your question sufficiently, and again wish you good luck.
On the Navy, my Dad with others were on various ships for many years. In fact he was on ships mostly the 8 years before and after the war. He was on Cruise ships, Destroyers and various other navel vessels. I've got photos of him with Eisenhower on the ships during the war. The fact is they spent many months out to sea on the ships. They would come back to port for a short stay to stock up on supplies and see medical personal and take care of various other obligations before they went back out to sea. However he often spent more time at sea then he did on land during those years. They drank mostly distilled water onboard. However, my point is the Navy has said from their research and records that nobody was known to have health problems from drinking distilled water.
It takes a long time to build up a mineral deficiency and a long time to correct it, so the effect on sailers may not be immediately obvious.
When we started adding trace minerals to our water in our home, we did not see any changes it produced for a long time. An ear condition related to the skin in my middle ear cleared up after three years, for instance. The liver spot disappeared in about six months. And, I hesitate to mention this because I am unable to prove it is related to minerals, but the very serious varicose veins in my ankles were cured after about three years. I can find no other explanation for these changes since I had not altered my diet or the minimal supplements I took - with the exception of the addition of minerals. In short, there is no way I would ever drink distilled water - unless I laced it with minerals.
When we started adding trace minerals to our water in our home, we did not see any changes it produced for a long time. An ear condition related to the skin in my middle ear cleared up after three years, for instance. The liver spot disappeared in about six months. And, I hesitate to mention this because I am unable to prove it is related to minerals, but the very serious varicose veins in my ankles were cured after about three years. I can find no other explanation for these changes since I had not altered my diet or the minimal supplements I took - with the exception of the addition of minerals. In short, there is no way I would ever drink distilled water - unless I laced it with minerals.
That why solid reseach should of been done by the govenment years ago. The research out there today is old and short sided. In the years to come, both from pollution and lack of water, more people will use distillers to obtain water. It's a good option to obtain water, but it's just that we need to know for sure how to adjust it if needed. I'm pretty sure most people don't eat a balanced diet. Reason is because it would be very expensive to do so. You would need a good cook, or to eat out every day. For most people, I believe distilled water perhaps aggravates their lack of minerals from a balanced diet. More then likely, distilled water would not effect most people who ate very well everyday, but most don't. For most, perhaps their metabolism has adjusted to absorbing minerals from regular water over time, and taking that away might be a shock to their systems. Of course that is conjecture, no proof, since it goes against basic biology about how our body uses organic minerals versus inorganic. But, a lot of people are moving that way cause its cheaper then buying filters. Filters are a big pain, and they are expensive. I buy them every month, and its expensive. I have no choice but to find other alternative like distilled water, but perhaps adjusted to whatever my body chemisty demands. I am surprised that more bio chemists and scientists have not been forthcoming in these forums. It's always the little people who are grasping as straws looking for answers, and the people who know, won't speak up.
I don't think they actually know, but I too have wished for years we devoted more money to basic research. Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical industry has eaten up most of the research money because of that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Studies on natural supplements, water, and food are usually spotty, short-term, not double blinded, and use too few people. It's a pain. But there's no lobby for money to find out something as basic as what you're asking. We don't even know what a human diet should best consist of. This is the downside of greed unfettered -- it crowds out people such as you who are looking at alternatives. I spent 18 years managing health food stores, and was amazed at how little good quality research is done on our basic needs. Just frustrates the hell out of me.
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