Message Number: FHL8423 | New FHL Archives Search

From: Sukie Crandall
Date: 2009-03-18 16:41:51 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Soup- Distilled Water
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>

Well, distilled water is apparently a LOT more
dangerous than I ever realized.


Okay, it looks like I will have to make some time,
but unfortunately, the other used of distilled/
demineralized water are many so this is not an
easy topic to look up.

From the World Health Organization article on
water sources with low mineralization or a lack
of minerals:

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutdemineralized.pdf
includes many reputable studies referenced.

BEGIN QUOTE
Demineralised water is highly aggressive and if untreated, its
distribution
through pipes and storage tanks would not be possible. The aggressive
water attacks the water distribution piping and leaches metals and other
materials from the pipes and associated plumbing materials.
...
Preliminary evidence was available that some substances present in water
could have beneficial effects on human health as well as adverse
effects...
END QUOTE

and later in the paper:

BEGIN QUOTE
The possible health consequences of low mineral content water
consumption
are discussed in the following categories:

Direct effects on the intestinal mucous membrane, metabolism and
mineral
homeostasis or other body functions.

Practically zero calcium and magnesium intake.

Low intake of other essential elements and microelements.

Loss of calcium, magnesium and other essential elements in prepared
food.

Possible increased dietary intake of toxic metals leached from water
pipe.

Possible bacterial re-growth.

END QUOTE

So, now to the sections that relate to the second list:

BEGIN QUOTED SECTIONS which are trimmed and which contain my own words
in brackets to avoid copyright violations. Please refer to original.

Distilled and low mineral content water (TDS < 50 mg/l) [is]
reported to be less thirst quenching (WHO 1980)
...
Histology did not reveal any signs of erosion, ulceration or
inflammation... Altered secretory function in animals (i.e., increased
secretion and acidity of gastric juice) and altered stomach muscle
tone were reported in studies for WHO (1980)
...
It has been adequately demonstrated that consuming water of low mineral
content has a negative effect on homeostasis mechanisms, compromising
the
mineral and water metabolism in the body. An increase in urine output
(i.e.,
increased diuresis) is associated with an increase in excretion of
major intra- and
extracellular ions from the body fluids, their negative balance, and
changes in
body water levels and functional activity of some body water management-
dependent hormones.
[Remember that much of cellular communication and other functions
require the right amount and balance of ions, no matter what the
charge (negative or positive). Robbing the body of needed ions can be
dangerous.]
...
1) increased water intake, diuresis, extracellular fluid volume, and
serum concentrations of sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) ions and their
increased
elimination from the body, resulting in an overall negative balance if
it is not
adequately compensated from food, and 2) lower volumes of red cells
and some
other hematocrit changes (WHO 1980). ...[Decreased] secretion of tri-
iodothyronine and aldosterone, increased secretion of cortisol,
morphological changes in the
kidneys including a more pronounced atrophy of glomeruli, and swollen
vascular endothelium limiting the blood flow. Reduced skeletal
ossification was
also found [in when water low in minerals or lacking minerals was
consumed]
...
Results of experiments in human volunteers evaluated by researchers
for the
WHO report (1980) are in agreement with those reported in animal
experiments.
Low-mineral water markedly: 1) increased diuresis (almost by 20%, on
average), body water volume, and serum sodium concentrations, 2)
decreased
serum potassium concentration, and 3) increased the elimination of
sodium,
potassium, chloride, calcium and magnesium ions from the body.
...
[The following section clearly described some of the ways that
distilled water consumption can be hazardous.]
The German Society for Nutrition reached similar conclusions, warning
the
public against drinking distilled water (DgfE 1993). This warning was
published
in response to the German edition of The Shocking Truth About Water
(Bragg
and Bragg 1993), whose authors recommended drinking distilled water
instead
of "ordinary" drinking water. The Society in its position paper
explains that
water in the human body always contains electrolytes (e.g. potassium and
sodium) at certain concentrations controlled by the body. Water
resorption by
the intestinal epithelium is also enabled by sodium transport. If
distilled water is
ingested, the intestine has to add electrolytes to this water first,
taking them
from the body reserves. Since the body never eliminates fluid in form
of "pure"
water but always together with salts, adequate intake of electrolytes
must be
ensured. Ingestion of distilled water leads to the dilution of the
electrolytes
dissolved in the body water. Inadequate body water redistribution
between
compartments may compromise the function of vital organs. Symptoms at
the
very beginning of this condition include tiredness, weakness and
headache;
more severe symptoms are muscular cramps and impaired heart rate.
...
Regular intake of low-mineral content water could be associated with the
progressive ...changes discussed above, possibly without manifestation
of symptoms or causal symptoms over the years. Nevertheless, severe
acute damage, such as hyponatremic shock [water intoxication] or
delirium, may occur following intense physical efforts and ingestion
of several litres of low-mineral water (Basnyat et al. 2000).
...
health problems were reported in mountain climbers who had prepared
their beverages with melted snow ...not supplemented with necessary
ions. A more severe course of such a condition coupled with brain
oedema, convulsions and metabolic acidosis was reported in infants
whose drinks had been prepared with distilled or low-mineral bottled
water (CDC 1994).
...
Although drinking water is not the major source of our calcium and
magnesium intake, the health significance of supplemental intake of
these
elements from drinking water may outweigh its nutritional
contribution... diets not deficient in terms of the quantity of
calcium and magnesium, may not be able to fully compensate for the
absence of calcium and, in particular, magnesium, in drinking water.
[See also below section on how cooking with distilled water causes
losses from food.]... epidemiological studies in many countries...
have reported that soft water (i.e., water low in calcium and
magnesium) and water low in magnesium is associated with increased
morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to
hard water and water high in magnesium.
...
Recent studies also suggest that the intake of soft water, i.e. water
low in calcium, may be associated with higher risk of fracture in
children (Verd Vallespir et al. 1992), certain neurodegenerative
diseases (Jacqmin et al. 1994), pre-term birth and low weight at birth
(Yang et al. 2002) and some types of cancer (Yang et al. 1997; Yang et
al. 1998). In addition to an increased risk of sudden death (Eisenberg
1992;
Bernardi et al. 1995; Garzon and Eisenberg 1998), the intake of water
low in
magnesium seems to be associated with a higher risk of motor neuronal
disease
(Iwami et al. 1994), pregnancy disorders (so-called preeclampsia)
(Melles &
Kiss 1992), and some types of cancer (Yang et al. 1999a; Yang et al.
1999b;
Yang et al. 1999c; Yang et al. 2000).
...
animals given water dosed with 5 mg/l of calcium exhibited
[impairment] in thyroidal and other associated functions compared to
the animals given the two higher doses of calcium.
...
While the effects of most chemicals commonly found in drinking water
manifest themselves after long exposure, the effects of calcium and, in
particular, those of magnesium on the cardiovascular system are
believed to
[be rapid] Only a few months exposure may be sufficient [to cause
health troubles]
Illustrative of such short-term exposures are cases in the Czech and
Slovak populations who began using reverse osmosis-based systems for
final treatment of drinking water at their home taps...Within several
weeks or months various health complaints suggestive of acute
magnesium (and possibly calcium) deficiency were reported (NIPH
2003). Among these complaints were cardiovascular disorders,
tiredness, weakness or muscular cramps. These are essentially the
same symptoms listed in the warning of the German Society for Nutrition.
...
Although drinking water, with some rare exceptions, is not the major
source
of essential elements for humans, its contribution may be important
for several
reasons. The modern diet ...may not be an adequate source of minerals
and microelements. In the case of borderline deficiency of a given
element, even the relatively low intake of the element with drinking
water may play a relevant protective role. This is because the
elements are usually present in water as free ions and therefore, are
more readily absorbed from water compared to food where they are
mostly bound to other substances.
Animal studies are also illustrative of the significance of
microquantities of
some elements present in water. For instance, Kondratyuk (1989)
reported that a
variation in the intake of microelements was associated with up to six-
fold
differences in their content in muscular tissue.
...
Furthermore, a negative effect on the blood formation process was
found to be associated with non-supplemented demineralised water... as
much as 19% lower in
the animals that received non-supplemented demineralised water
compared to
that in animals given tap water.
...
Recent epidemiological studies of an ecologic design among Russian
populations supplied with water varying in TDS suggest that low-mineral
drinking water may be a risk factor for hypertension and coronary
heart disease,
gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic gastritis, goitre, pregnancy
complications
and several complications in newborns and infants, including jaundice,
anemia,
fractures and growth disorders (Mudryi 1999).
...
The population of the area supplied with water lower in minerals
showed higher incidence rates of goiter, hypertension, ischemic heart
disease, gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic gastritis, cholecystitis
and nephritis. Children living in this area exhibited slower physical
development and more growth abnormalities, pregnant women suffered
more frequently from edema and anemia. Newborns of this area showed
higher morbidity.
...
When used for cooking, soft water was found to cause substantial
losses of
all essential elements from food (vegetables, meat, cereals). Such
losses may
reach up to 60 % for magnesium and calcium or even more for some other
microelements (e.g., copper 66 %, manganese 70 %, cobalt 86 %). In
contrast,
when hard water is used for cooking, the loss of these elements is
much lower,
and in some cases, an even higher calcium content was reported in food
as a
result of cooking (WHO 1978; Haring and Van Delft 1981; Oh et al. 1986;
Durlach 1988).
...
Low-mineralized water is unstable and therefore, highly aggressive to
materials with which it comes into contact. Such water more readily
absorbs
metals and some organic substances from pipes, coatings, storage tanks
and
containers, hose lines and fittings, being incapable of forming low-
absorbable
complexes with some toxic substances and thus reducing their negative
effects
...
Calcium and, to a lesser extent, magnesium in water and food are known
to
have antitoxic activity. They can help prevent the absorption of some
toxic
elements such as lead and cadmium from the intestine into the blood,
either via
direct reaction leading to formation of an unabsorbable compound or via
competition for binding sites (Thompson 1970; Levander 1977; Oehme 1979;
Hopps and Feder 1986; Nadeenko et al. 1987; Durlach et al. 1989;
Plitman et al.
1989).
...
The Czech National Institute of Public Health (NIPH, 2003) in Prague has
tested the safety of products intended for contact with drinking water
and found
that the pressure tanks of the reverse osmosis units are prone to
bacterial re-
growth.

END QUOTED SECTIONS but there is a LOT more in there.

Hopefully, WHO and it's author who created the composite paper on
relevant studies will not consider this too much quoting, because it
really was impossible to get all of this info into reasonable form in
the bit of time I had. Should WHO consider it unacceptable this post
will be promptly removed, of course, and any fault in that case is my
own and not that of the FHL. In that case I will try to make time
sooner to put something together that is mostly in my own words, but
this seems to be needed pretty much immediately by at least one FHL
member.

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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