No, this is not a post about how much water you should be drinking. This post is inspired by Merry and Pippin. That’s right, it is triggered by the supporting hobbits in The Lord of the Rings; specifically the scene when they are drinking Ent-draught and growing taller. In the movie, Ent-draught appears to just be spring water, but regardless it is obviously special. So, it got me thinking, besides hydration and healthy teeth, how can drinking water affect you?
Lead – sadly there are too many examples of lead causing innumerable problems when consumed in any form.
Bacteria and parasites – similar to lead, there are a lot of frightening examples for this water contaminant as well.
Magnesium – apparently high levels of magnesium in your drinking water is associated with improved survival rates for myocardial infarction (heart attack). Levels of calcium did not affect survival rates.
Calcium – is thought to have potential benefits for diseases like osteoporosis.
Sodium – has benefits except for the fact that North Americans generally consume way to much already so we don’t really need more.
So, no water will make you grow like Merry and Pippin but water can affect your health in more ways than one.
Azoulay, A., Garzon, P., & Eisenberg, M. (2001). Comparison of the mineral content of tap water and bottled waters. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Mar; 16(3): 168–175. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2001.04189.x
Rubenowitz, E., Molin, I., Axelsson, G., & Rylander, R. (2000). Magnesium in Drinking Water in Relation to Morbidity and Mortality from Acute Myocardial Infarction. Epidemiology, 11(4), 416-421. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3703967
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