Many of us wonder: what is the healthiest water? The taste of certain waters certainly is a deciding factor as well. This article is packed with studies and will leave you with no doubt as to what water you should be drinking.
The healthiest drinking water is mineral and spring water. With high amounts of minerals, they may provide over 30% of the recommended daily intake for calcium and magnesium. Studies found that mineral water tastes best.
Let’s see why mineral and spring water are so different and look at what types of water to avoid buying at the store.
1. The Healthiest Type Of
Water
Forget all the marketing claims out there! From a scientific standpoint, it has been crystal clear for decades what water is healthiest for our bodies.
The medical importance of mineral waters depends on the contained amount of minerals and trace elements. [1]
The two minerals that are of the greatest interest are: Calcium and Magnesium.
Scientists have proven again and again, that the ideal bottled water should be rich in magnesium and calcium and have a low sodium content. [2]
Especially for people who don’t eat very healthy, a water high in minerals has shown to have the huge health benefits. [3]
If you’re an avid fast food eater, then the type of water you chose might make the difference for your long term health.
Ok, we learned that spring and mineral water seem to provide a good amount of minerals. But what about tap water?
Tap water is a topic where the facts are clear, but the opinions are divided.
Tap water is said to be “safe enough” to drink. From a scientific standpoint, however, the situation looks slightly different.
Here’s what the EWG (Environmental Working Group) found in their analysis from nearly 50,000 local utilities in 50 states:
When most Americans drink a glass of tap water, they’re also getting a dose of industrial or agricultural contaminants linked to cancer, harm to the brain and nervous system, changes in the growth and development of the fetus, fertility problems and/or hormone disruption. [4]
Conclusion: High-mineral waters like “natural spring water” or “natural mineral water” are healthiest for our body. Even though tap water does contain added minerals for taste, the contamination level of tap water makes it no ideal drinking water choice.
2. What Is Mineral Water?
When we talk about mineral water, we mean water labeled “spring water” and “mineral water”. Both contain higher amounts of magnesium and calcium. [5]
The calcium concentration of water varies from 1 to 135 mg/L across the USA. Most spring waters have an average calcium concentration of 21.8 mg/L.
Mineral waters show even higher concentrations and contain an average of 208 mg/L of calcium. [6]
Avoid water that says “purified”, “distilled”, “remineralized”, “artesian”, “flavored”, or “nutrient-enriched”. All 5 of them contain considerably smaller amounts of minerals. [7]; [8]
Purified waters contain a negligible calcium concentration. Filtration was found to remove a considerable amount of calcium from the water, removing 89% on average. [9]
Distilled water – the purest form of water – is sometimes called demineralized or deionized water. It is water that has everything removed including ions and minerals.
Distilled water has nothing in it. This is NOT your ideal drinking water. Unless you use it for your work at laboratories or factories, stay away from it. [10]
The WHO’s (World Health Organization) standpoint:
“Water that lacks essential minerals in it is not considered ideal drinking water, and therefore, its regular consumption may not be providing adequate levels of some beneficial nutrients.” [11]
Alkaline water has a higher pH level than tap water. A pH level is a measure of how acidic or basic water is.
- < pH 7 –> more acidic
- pH 7 –> neutral
- > pH 7 more alkaline
Does alkaline water live up to the hype?
- Studies suggest alkaline water has a protective effect against Parkinson’s Disease. [12]
- The resultant increase in growth hormone with an alkaline diet may improve cardiovascular health, memory and cognition. [13]
- Increased fruits and vegetables in an alkaline diet may benefit bone health, mitigate hypertension and strokes, and increase intracellular magnesium. [14]
- Magnesium is required to activate vitamin D which results in numerous added benefits. [15]
Natural spring and mineral water is alkaline. Natural alkaline water occurs when water passes over rocks and picks up minerals which increase its alkaline level. [16]
Studies show that checking the mineral content of your bottled water is crucial since mineral concentrations vary from brand to brand.
Conclusion: High mineral “spring water” or “mineral water” is a natural product that shows beneficial effects on our health. Filtration in purified waters removes 89% of minerals which makes it no ideal drinking water choice. Untreated spring water and mineral water are naturally alkaline.
3. Why Is Mineral Water
Better?
High-mineral water, that is water labeled “spring water” and ”mineral water”, comes with numerous health benefits. [17] Let’s first check out what impact low-mineral water has on our body.
- Water low in magnesium may be associated with a higher risk of motor neuronal disease, pregnancy disorders, sudden death in infants, and some types of cancer. [23]
- Water low in calcium, is associated with a higher risk of fracture in children, certain neurodegenerative diseases, pre-term birth and low weight at birth and some types of cancer. [24]
- Spring and mineral water contain high levels of Calcium and Magnesium. Mineral waters may provide over 40% of the recommended daily intake for calcium. [18] Drinking those waters helps achieve an adequate daily intake of those minerals. [19];[20];[21]
- “Many studies show that water high in magnesium is related to decreased risks for cardiovascular disease, especially for sudden death from cardiovascular disease. [22]
- Minerals in spring and mineral water can easily be absorbed. The bioavailability of minerals from mineral water is good and can be compared with that of milk.[25]; [26]; [27]; [28]; [29]
- Spring and Mineral water are a calorie free source of minerals. [30]
And there is more…
- Spring and Mineral water help keep our bones healthy. [31];[32];[33];[34]
- Water high in minerals could be useful in the treatment of osteoporosis.[35]
- Especially in aged people with lactose intolerance, mineral waters are recommended to achieve optimal calcium requirements.[36]
- A one-month intake of mineral water rich in calcium, magnesium bicarbonate, and sulfate decreased cholesterol and LDL levels in dyslipidemic adults.[37]
Conclusion: The habitual consumption of spring and mineral waters high in minerals contribute substantially to human health. Health professionals stress the importance of checking the mineral content of bottled water. [38]; [39]; [40]; [41]; [42]
4. The Best Tasting Water
Drinking water, tap and bottled, has been replacing sugar-sweetened beverages in the US diet over the past 5 years. [43]
But what water tastes best?
Studies show that water high in calcium, magnesium, sulfate and bicarbonate tastes best to most people. [44]
Since bicarbonate (seen in the study above) is the main alkaline factor in water, it makes sense, that alkaline water tastes so good to most people.
Most people prefer the taste (and convenience) of bottled water.
Even if their tap water taste is good, the perceived risks from tap water causes most people to opt for bottled water. [45]
Conclusion: Water high in minerals tastes best to most people. Choosing spring or mineral water as the daily source of hydration will automatically result in a better tasting water for most people.