Healthy Water Research :
Studies the Beneficial and Harmful Agents in Drinking Water
Introduction: Healthy Water
Research on drinking water is highly fragmented and opinionated. Studies on water and heart disease ignore the findings on drinking water and cancer and vice versa.
Healthy Water brings this diverse and confusing research into a coherent focus. Read what makes drinking water both safe and healthy.
Although Healthy Water is not a book about water pollution, it’s smart to be reminded of the on-going extent of this problem. Reports from two leading environmental organizations (National Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Working Group) claim that 53 million Americans or roughly 1 in 5 are drinking polluted water.
Water: The Essential
Nutrient
Most of us have been told we need to drink a minimum of 6 of 8 glasses of water a day. But if you recorded how much you personally drink, you’ll be amazed how little it is. Try it.
Many of our healthy problems are the result of dehydration. We have lost touch with our bodies many cries for water and have instead substituted food or other drinks for water.
Ironically many of the liquids we choose like, alcohol, juice, sodas, coffee, and tea actually dehydrate the body – thus adding to the problem.
Sources: References
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Heart Disease: Soft Water vs. Hard Water
Numerous studies have been published on the relationship between drinking water and cardiovascular mortality. Two beneficial factors continually stand out – hardness and total dissolved solids (TDS). Both are associated with lower mortality from heart disease.
Hardness refers to the amount of calcium and magnesium, or calcium carbonate in the water. The more calcium carbonates the harder the water; lower amounts equal softer the water. TDS is a measurement of all the minerals in the water, not just calcium or magnesium.
One major study, the British Regional Heart Study, analyzed 253 towns. They found 10% to 15% more cardiovascular deaths in soft water areas than in hard water areas. The ideal level of hardness was 170 mg/l.
Sources: References
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Sodium and Hypertension
Some studies have reported that higher levels of sodium in drinking water resulted in higher blood pressure. However, most studies do not support this finding.
More importantly there are no studies showing a correlation between high levels of sodium in the drinking water and higher mortality rates.
Frequently water supplies high in sodium is also high in the beneficial factors of hardness and total dissolved solids.
If we want to lower our sodium intake, we should look to our diets – 90% of all the sodium consumed in the food we eat.
Sources: References
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Cancer: Hardness, TDS, and pH
It’s estimated 60% to 80% of all cancers are environmental in origin. Several studies have demonstrated the presence of chemical carcinogens in surface, ground water, and municipal treated drinking water.
However, often overlooked are the beneficial properties in drinking water that can help protect us from cancer – namely total dissolved solids (TDS), hardness, and pH.
Burton and Cornhill analyzed the drinking water in the 100 largest cities in America. They found a 10% to 25% reduction in the amount of cancer deaths if the drinking water has a moderately high level of TDS (around 300 mg/l), if the water was hard, and if the water had an alkaline pH (above 7.0).
Drinking water with higher amounts of TDS and hardness results in lower heart disease and cancer mortality rates.
Sources References:
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Fluoridation
Fluoridation is a highly emotional and controversial issue in which it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction. The bottom line: Is it effective? Is it save?
After a forty-day fluoridation trial in Illinois, Judge Ronald A. Newman ruled, "a conclusion that fluoride is a safe effective means of promoting dental health cannot be supported by this record."
Fluoride toxicity has been linked to genetic damage in plants and animals, birth defects in humans, plus a series of allergic reactions ranging from fatigue, headaches, urinary tract irritations, diarrhea and many other problems.
Dr. Dean Burk, former researcher with the National Cancer Institute, claims "one tenth of all cancer deaths in this country can be shown to be linked to fluoridation of public drinking water."
Worldwide there is very little fluoridation. Countries that start usually end up stopping it.
Sources References
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Chlorination: Heart Disease and Cancer
Is the chlorine in our drinking water acting as a catalyst triggering tumor development both in atherosclerosis (heart disease) and cancer? In the late 1960s Joseph Price, MD, wrote a fascinating, yet largely ignored book entitled, Coronaries, Cholesterol, Chlorine. Based on his experiments he clearly demonstrates his conclusion that "nothing can negate the basic cause of atherosclerosis and heart attacks and most common forms of strokes is chlorine. The chlorine contained in drinking water."
Can chlorine be linked to cancer too? Chlorine combines with natural organic matter creating cancer-causing trihalomethanes (THMs).
Studies from Louisiana, New York, Maryland, and Ohio reveal were there are higher levels of THMs the result is higher levels of cancer. Proper water filtration systems can remove these carcinogens.
Sources: References
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Animal Studies: Compelling Evidence
Most animal experiments use water that is artificially made "hard" or "soft" to which harmful substances like cadmium, lead, chlorine or fluoride have been added. The typical results from these experiments are the animals drinking the hard water have less of the harmful agents in their tissues than the animals drinking the soft water.
The animal research dramatically supports the same conclusions observed from the human studies. Namely, hard water is healthier than soft water.
Sources: References
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De- Mineralized Water: Reverse
Osmosis (RO) and Distillers
De-mineralized water contains very little or no minerals. This is the type of water you get if you use a distiller, reverse osmosis (RO), or de-ionization.
Creating a "healthy water" means removing the harmful agents but keeping the beneficial minerals. According to Dr. John Sorenson, a leading authority on mineral metabolism, "Minerals in drinking water are more easily and better absorbed than minerals from food."
Sources: References
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Bottled Waters: Are all Created Equal?
Bottled water is big business. And it usually tastes better than what comes out of the tap. But is it "healthy water?" It depends.
Is it hard? Is it moderately high in TDS (total dissolved solids)? Most bottled waters in the United States do not give the information you need to know to answer the questions. Request a complete water analysis from the company or check their web site.
Many bottled waters are processed water using distillation, reverse osmosis, de-ionization or filtration. Frankly you can do this yourself and save money.
With over 700 brands of bottled water available in the US around 80% are processed water.
Purchase only bottled natural spring or artesian well waters that come closest to the "healthy water" criteria – hardness 170 mg/l and TDS around 300 mg/l.
Sources: References
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Water Filters: Questions to Ask
Another option to having a "healthy water" is using a proper filter. There are excellent, mediocre and poor filters on the market. Most state require 3rd part testing of water products but for most people understanding the results is very difficult.
For example, a filter removing chlorine that is only tested for taste and odor and not for chemical compounds, like THMs and heavy metals (like lead) is useless and gives consumers a false sense of safety. One of the best tests to look for is to see how well the filter removes "chloroform" and leaves the minerals.
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Bathing: A Chemical War Zone?
Preliminary research suggests that the ingestion of harmful chemicals from drinking water may not be the primary exposure.
Skin versus oral absorption rates for toxic chemicals in both children and adults show much higher rates of chemical skin absorption than from oral ingestion for toluene, ethyl benzene, and styrene.
Inhalation for showering for TCE (trichloroethylene) was 6 to 80 times greater than from drinking the water. Lovers of hot tubs and pools take note.
One solution to consider is a whole house filtration system for chemical removal, not mineral extraction. Or point of use filters for bathing, showering, and drinking.
Sources: References
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Healthy Water Reviews
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Martin Fox, Ph.D.
Several years ago I was working on a degree in nutrition and decided to write about drinking water and health.
Researching and talking to different teachers, I found everyone had lots of opinions. But when I asked them why they believed one kind of water was better for you than another, no one had any real information. Everything was based on hearsay.
Around that time I was swayed by the superficial argument that minerals in drinking water were useless at best, and harmful at the worst. But as I started to collect the medical research on drinking water and its relationship to heart disease and cancer, I started to see a very different story.
Most of the articles clearly showed the benefits of minerals in drinking water. The result of all this was Healthy Water for a Longer Life - called the "best book on the subject." and later a summary of the book entitled Healthy Water. Healthy Water for a Longer Life is no longer available.
I think you'll find Healthy Water will answer your fundamental questions and leave you with the knowledge to make the right choices concerning your drinking and bathing water.
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