There are many types of water out there — tap water, reverse osmosis water, alkaline water and distilled water, which leaves some of us to wonder if all waters are considered equal? Distilled water has become pretty popular in the health realm and people are claiming that drinking this water can propose a variety of benefits.
While people praise distilled water for its benefits, others are condemning it claiming that if we consume too much of a good thing it can potentially become bad for us.
But is there any truth to these claims? Before we come to understand the potential benefits or disadvantages of drinking water that is distilled, we must first clarify exactly what distilled water is.
What Is Distilled Water?
Distilled water isn’t like any other kind of water. It is water that has been purified through a specific process known as distillation. During the distillation process, water is boiled until it becomes steam. It is then cooled back down to its original state. This process eliminates contaminants from the water, including inorganic minerals and heavy metals.
Benefits of drinking distilled water
Since this water is free of any contaminants like heavy metals and other inorganic minerals, it does offer a list of potential benefits including the following:
Detoxes your body: Distilled water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them.
Free of chlorine: Chlorine is a chemical that’s used to keep water clean and safe for consumption. Although it helps kill harmful bacteria in the water, it also can combine with other compounds to create chemicals that have been linked to cancer. It also irritates and dries the eyes and skin.
Improves digestion: Distilled water gets rid of unnatural minerals and pollutants that can disrupt your body’s ability to properly absorb nutrients. By getting rid of the bad stuff and purifying your drinking water, you can ensure that your organs are functioning properly and absorbing the minerals and vitamins you need most.
These are just a few of the benefits of drinking distilled water, however, most distilled water enthusiasts are often surprised to hear that drinking distilled water on a regular, daily basis is potentially dangerous.
What Happens If You Consume Too Much Distilled Water
The most notable benefit of distilled water is the fact that it can help to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them. Studies even validate the benefits of drinking distilled water, but it is only when a person is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods of time.
If consumed on a daily basis, it can become potentially dangerous because of the rapid loss of electrolytes like sodium, potassium and chloride and trace minerals like magnesium, while making the body more acidic. Deficiencies of these trace minerals can cause heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure.
The more mineral loss, the greater the risk for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and a long list of degenerative diseases generally associated with premature aging.
Because distilled water is acidic, it’s only recommended as a way of drawing toxins out of the body. Once this job is done, the continued use of drinking distilled water becomes a bad idea, which is why it is recommended to drink distilled water only for a couple of weeks at a time, and after that, you should go back to drinking the water you were previously drinking. By doing so, only then will you reap the benefits of distilled water without experiencing the potential side effects.
