Minerals in drinking water

Minerals in drinking water are sold to us as essential for our health. You can find out why this is not the case here.

The big lobby behind minerals in water

Especially in the 80s, when the fitness trend was big, mineral water was advertised as the perfect thirst quencher and ideal for us humans. This theory is highly controversial and has been refuted in several studies.

What are minerals?

Until recently, only vitamins were popular. We know that we need to consume vitamins through our daily diet, as our metabolism cannot produce them in sufficient quantities.

It is less well known that vitamins can only develop their full effect if they are taken together with minerals.

In total, humans need several dozen vital substances every day, which they cannot produce themselves but must obtain from food: Namely minerals, amino acids and vitamins. Minerals is the generic term for inorganic nutrients that the body cannot produce itself.

What are minerals important for?

Every tissue contains minerals in varying amounts. Minerals ...

Are building material for cells and structures (bones, teeth ... )
Are responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses Regulate the heat balance, water balance and acid-base balance
Are a component of body fluids (blood, stomach acid, tears ... ), enzymes (magnesium, for example, is involved in 300 metabolic processes) and hormones and other messenger substances

Inorganic and organic minerals

Perse, the vital ions (i.e. sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, etc.) are always inorganic.

The word "organic minerals" is a colloquial term for the fact that a mineral has passed through the metabolism of a plant. The plant absorbs the minerals that are present in the soil and incorporates them into its roots, leaves and fruit, which we then consume as a source of nutrition.

Minerals that have passed through plants are clasped at their outer ends by an organic substance. They are therefore "accepted" by the receptors and can thus reach the inside of the cell. This means that the human organism absorbs "organic" minerals much better, as they are packaged somewhat differently and are therefore familiar to the body.

Water is not a mineral supplier!

Water (drinking water and mineral water) contains minerals (especially calcium and magnesium) in varying quantities. On behalf of Forum Trinkwasser e.V., scientists at Paderborn University, led by Professor Helmut Heseker, investigated the importance of water in meeting mineral requirements. The scientists came to the conclusion that water is ideal for meeting fluid requirements. However, the German population's need for the most important minerals is primarily covered by solid food (including milk). So-called "organic" minerals.

Inorganic mineral salts from minerals in water are practically unusable for our organism, they are even a burden. They attach themselves to cholesterol crystals, for example, and then form hardening and constrictions in the vessels in patches, known as arteriosclerotic plaques. Over time, these also lead to functional impairment of the kidneys. You are familiar with this effect from water pipes, which calcify if there is too much calcium in the water.

Prof. L.C. Vincent from the Anthropological Institute of the University of Paris has proven in 20 years of research that the health of laboratory animals is significantly better and they live longer if they are given high-octane, i.e. low-mineral water to drink. However, if they are given normal water or water rich in minerals, they suffer more frequently from health problems and also die earlier. Prof. L.C. Vincent also found that in places with very hard, i.e. mineral-rich water, life expectancy was significantly lower and the number of cardiovascular diseases significantly higher than in places with soft, mineral-poor water. The cancer rate was particularly high in places with chlorine in the drinking water.

It is therefore important to drink water with a very low mineral content.

Mineral water is tested less

"Minerals in mineral water are a myth" - Stiftung Warentest could not have formulated its test result much more clearly. What the result means for us consumers is also relatively clear: lugging around bottles of water is unnecessary, we can drink tap water with confidence.

In six of the still mineral waters, the testers found so many germs that they could be risky for people with a weak immune system. Chemical residues were also detected in five of the 30 mineral waters: above-ground contamination from pesticides, a sweetener and a degradation product that comes either from the controversial pesticide glyphosate or from detergents and cleaning agents. According to Stiftung Warentest, the residues are harmless to health - but they indicate that the sources from which the mineral water comes are not sufficiently protected.

Mineral water may not contain more than 12 specific foreign and harmful substances in total. On the one hand, this means that tap water would actually be healthier and, on the other, that neither water has sufficient limit values.

The right diet is the key

As mentioned above, minerals are of great importance for our organism and therefore for our health. It is important that we supply our body with so-called organic minerals.

This is because inorganic minerals contained in drinking and mineral water do not have the required bioavailability and place a greater burden on the body than they relieve it.

Organic minerals can be found in vegetables, fruit, pulses, various oils, eggs and dairy products. With the right diet, you can maintain a healthy and sustainable mineral balance.