I was told by a nurse that drinking RO water was “bad” for you, I do not see the problem with it, and have seen many people drink it before without any visible problems. The only problem I could see is the potential for bacterial growth. She was saying the lack of minerals on the water could cause an electrolyte imbalance. Can anyone confirm that to be the case?

Some freinds and I discussed that for a long time, and even found forum where doctors debated with each other about it.
Avoiding all of that scientific debate I'll share a story.
One of my sons is autistic, and autistics do not process metals as well as most of us can, so we were advised to avoid fluoride (among other things) in toothpaste and water. So, we went with Aquafina as an easy souce of RO processed water. With the absence of fluoride in my drinking water for 1 year, I ended up with 8 cavities! That's with good dental habits, in case you're wondering.
As for the fun science, consider what happens with the presence or absence of things in dialysate, and how the human body reacts.
I'll leave the details to the more inteligent.

JP,

Her thoughts have no merit at all. Many bottled waters are actually RO water. RO water is actually bland tasting, for this reason some bottled water companies will add some calcium or other minerals back into the water to improve its taste.

Chuck

We use RO water in the water cooler at work. The medical director told me that to have any affect on your mineral intake, you would have to drink more water than anyone could drink.

What the Nurse may be implying is the osmonic effect the RO water has within our G.I. However, one would have to consume massive quantities at one time for our hemostasis to be effected.

better drink these than drinking questionable tap water

Questionable? I get an annual confession - I mean report - of the toxic fluid that that is piped to my house.

Have some fun, send out a sample of your home tap water.

I was always taught that if someone exclusively drank purified water it would lead to problems because of the waters aggressive nature. Commercial drinking water companies (Dasani, Aquafina, etc) add minerals to their product to counteract this aggressiveness and also for taste. Occasionally drinking purified water or using it to make coffee (which is awesome BTW) is harmless.

Good article on the subject (pdf file)

http://www.coralwater-us.com/news/images/PurifiedWaterBadForYou.pdf

Frank,

Interesting reading. Is it true?...I'm sure not smart enough to know. Is this Dr. Rona on Coral Waters payroll?....seems possible. I also highly question the article(s) because he uses his own articles as references for each other.

Bottom line is anything, even water whether purified or not can be harmful.

Chuck

I think that many of the comments above are true...you would need to drink a very large amount of RO water. Keep in mind that, generally, you are eating things during the day along with drinking the purified water. If you are looking for the water to be your main source of nutrients, you are in trouble. I have been drinking RO water for over 20 years and have not seen any problem (Chuck, feel free to comment .

The EPA recommends that people with a compromised immune system drink filtered water. Some forms of filtered water they recommend are RO water or distilled water. It is good to include a Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamin D suppliment to reduce cardiovascular issues.

Larry,

Other than saying that I'm glad to finally know where that third ear you have growing out of your forehead came from....I have nothing to say :-X

Chuck

I think she may have been confusing RO water with distilled water, which will have a much greater osmonic effect and from what I understand will cause a person to dehydrate.

Hey there Biomed Boy, my Neph is autistic. Did you or have you noticed any difference with RO water with your son? Just wondering if I should pass this info on. I never thought about the water with minerals.

For anyone that wants RO water at home for drinking purposes, both Fridgidare and GE make RO units that are mounted beneath your sink that put out several gallons a day. They work off city water pressure and do not have a pump, and therefore don't need an electrical connection. They have carbon filters also to eliminate the chloromines. They are available from Lowe's or Home Depot for about $250 and are easy to install yourself. Replacement filters and membranes are in stock for both at Lowes and Home Depot, and the membrane life is pretty long depending on your water supply. The water from them does taste somewhat flat, but you can buy a mineral supplement from Trace Minerals Research called ConcenTrace that will add back in magnesium,chloride,sodium,potassium,sulfate,and boron. ConcenTrace is available from health food stores, or try the web site, www.traceminerals.com. If you are buying a lot of bottled water for drinking purposes an under the sink RO is a good investment and will pay for itself fairly fast.

quote:

Originally posted by Austism uncle:
Hey there Biomed Boy, my Neph is autistic. Did you or have you noticed any difference with RO water with your son? Just wondering if I should pass this info on. I never thought about the water with minerals.

Unc,

We did not see any distinct results from the water change, or from the cassein free, gluten free diet. We had also tried custom supplementation with labs tests and a compounding pharmacy. There is a new group promoting certain things to CURE autism, or reverse it through various methods.

My personal e-mail is get2heaven@hotmail.com. If the parents want contacts with those people, I can get them connected. They are the same people who cured Jenny McCarthy's kid(recently in the news).