Table of Contents
Why is water essential for the body?
The human body is 70% water. Every process that takes place in our bodies requires water. Doctors recommend drinking 6–8 glasses of water a day.
Water forms the major component of blood. Some of its other functions include:
- Creating saliva: Saliva contains a large amount of water. It also contains mucus, enzymes, and electrolytes. Drinking water helps produce more saliva.
- Regulating body temperature: Our bodies cool down when we sweat, and water forms sweat. This helps us stay cool in hot weather.
- Protecting joints and the spinal cord: Water forms a lubricant that protects our joints and spinal cord from wear and tear.
- Absorbing nutrients: Most nutrients dissolve in water and are carried throughout the body by water.
- Improving oxygen circulation: Water also carries oxygen to all body parts.
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What does water contain?
Water is made up of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. The water we drink contains minerals, salts, nutrients, and metals. Chlorine is also added to water to kill bacteria. Impure water can be purified by many methods, including boiling, using water filters, and using chemicals.
What is distilled water?
Almost all water is impure to some degree. It may contain minerals, nutrients, contaminants, or metals. Drinking contaminated water causes diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis A, and polio. A major challenge in the world is providing everyone with clean drinking water. You might wonder, what is the cleanest, purest water? The answer is distilled water.
Distilled water is a type that has been boiled until it turns into steam and the steam condensed and collected. The process of converting water to a vapor and then collecting the condensed vapors is called distillation. Distillation removes impurities from the water. This makes it pure. The absence of minerals makes it taste flatter.
Is it safe for drinking?
If we consume a healthy and nutritious diet, drinking distilled water might be fine enough. For instance, a balance diet will have all minerals absent in distilled water. This makes up for the lack of any salts or electrolytes. In places with impure tap water, distilled water may be safer to drink, since it protects us against diseases and infections.
Let’s list out the pros and cons:
Pros:
- Distilled water is free from harmful and toxic chemicals
- In addition to that, distilled water does not contain any germs that can cause diseases.
- In areas near the sea, seawater can be distilled and consumed.
Cons:
- The absence of minerals causes it to leach minerals from other sources, so when we drink distilled water, it might extract minerals from our bodies, including our teeth.
- Moreover, its flat taste makes drinking less appealing which might lead to a person drinking less water.
- We lose water throughout the day, either through sweat or urine. Contained in sweat and urine are many essential salts, like magnesium, zinc, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium. Drinking water replenishes these salts, but distilled water does not contain any minerals or salts. Therefore, drinking distilled water could lead to an electrolyte imbalance in the body.
- Since water is the medium for all processes that take place in our bodies, a lack of sufficient water slows down these processes.
What is it used for?
Distilled water is used in laboratories to conduct experiments. Since it does not contain any minerals or salts, it can be used in cars and other household appliances like steam irons. Fish aquariums also use distilled water. Most cosmetics and perfumes contain distilled water. In hospitals, distilled water is used in dialysis machines.
Conclusion
Drinking distilled water is not harmful. However, regular drinking water contains minerals and nutrients that we require to stay healthy. Water makes up a very important part of our diet and we must make sure to drink enough water every day.
Glossary
Condensed: Changed from a gas to a liquid
Dialysis: The process of filtering blood to remove waste products when the kidneys stop working.
Distillation: The process of conversion of a liquid to gas, and then back to liquid.
Electrolytes: These are salts and minerals in the human body that help in maintaining the amount of water in the body.
Flesch Kincaid Grade Level: 8.2
Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease: 56.6
References
Distilled water overview (no date) WebMD. WebMD
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(Accessed: January 27, 2023)
Silver, N. (2020) Why is water important? 16 reasons to drink up, Healthline
Healthline Media
Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/why-is-water-important#circulation
(Accessed: January 27, 2023)
Water and healthier drinks (2022) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/water-and-healthier-drinks.html#:~:text=Water%20helps%20your%20body%3A,%2C%20perspiration%2C%20and%20bowel%20movements
(Accessed: January 27, 2023)
Watson, S. (2019) Can you drink distilled water? Healthline. Healthline Media
Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/can-you-drink-distilled-water#takeaway
(Accessed: January 27, 2023)
Can you drink distilled water safely? (no date) Medical News Today. MediLexicon International.
Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317698#potential-benefits
(Accessed: January 31, 2023)
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