Hydrating effects of different types of drinking water?

[Quero]

I attended a Chamber Orientation session yesterday to meet the new Diving Medical Technician of the SSS chamber here on Phuket and heard something that I hadn't considered before. The DMT said that we should be careful what water we drink here since most bottled water is distilled water rather than mineral water. He said that only mineral water hydrates the body properly. I did a web search and found conflicting views, e.g.,

The size and shape of the water molecule clusters after distillation are significantly different. They are larger in size and thus do not absorb into the body’s tissues as easily as tap, filtered or ionized water.

and

Distilled water is clean, microbe-free, and mineral-free and is rapidly absorbed even during exercise-induced fluid loss. Tap water is not always clean, seldom microbe-free, contains minerals without their amino acid carriers for rapid absorption. Science chooses distilled water for refined, research protocols where substance-free pure-H2O is required. Perhaps humans should do likewise.

Any insights to contribute?

 

[knotical]

It would have been interesting to ask the DMT for scientific references. I find it hard to believe that the absence or presence of small quantities of minerals has a significant effect on absorption by the body.

Never having heard the term "water molecule clusters", I Googled and found this: Structured Water Pseudoscience and Quackery

My nickel's on bushwa.

 

[Chugwhump]

Personal observation:
Distilled water does not quench thirst well.
If I only have distilled water, I put a few drops of sea water into the bottle and Wahh-Laah.....
introduced minerals.
For me.....
Water is water.

Chug
Thinks fresh water is for bathing, drinking, washing stuff, and watering plants....
it is not for diving.

 

[Quero]

I dislike desalinated water, for sure. It's gotta be ice cold or spiked with tea or something for me to stand it.

But my question is more in line with guarding against DCS by properly hydrating. This guy said that the water I generally buy (which is ionized and filtered) doesn't hydrate as effectively as, say, Evian or Minere water. He said that if we drink this impoverished water, we should add electrolyte powders to it.

---------- Post added August 24th, 2013 at 04:10 PM ----------

I also have to say that the very best tap water I've ever had available to me at my home was water from the Evian region. I used to live just about 25 miles from Evian, and our tap/shower/cooking/laundry/gardening water came from the same aquifier. (Imagine doing your laundry with Evian water, LOL.)

 

[sphyrnidus]

Urban myth, there is hardly a difference in mineral content. Drinking (very) large amounts of tab water is also not good. It's about osmosis, on that respect there is hardly a difference between tab, mineral, demi and distilled water.
To add minerals would be better for any of these substances (from a biological viewpoint).
As a physician I can advise anybody to drink a lot in the tropics, not only for diving, also to stay away from kidney stones and the like. It should be at least 1,5-2 litre per day on a diving trip with 3-4 dives per day.

 

[Tortuga68]

"Science chooses distilled water for refined, research protocols where substance-free pure-H2O is required"

Which has zero to do with human hydration...

But my question is more in line with guarding against DCS by properly hydrating

I think the jury is still out the role hydration plays in preventing DCS

 

[Hickdive]

As the Perrier adverts might have said; "Bolleaux".

 

[TSandM]

First off, you cannot "change the shape of water molecules" by distilling. Atomic bonds are more durable than that . . . Water is water.

Trace amounts of minerals, such as are present in spring, well, or tap water, are generally irrelevant to the absorption or use of water. However, since how much water you can retain in the body is intimately interrelated with how much salt is present, if you want to maximize the volume expansion of drinking, do it with a package of potato chips . . . If you pound down water by itself, you can actually dilute your body fluids, and when the body senses that, it works to get rid of the excess water. In that case, your efforts at volume expansion will be ineffective. That's why we use normal saline as an IV fluid, rather than glucose and water. (We can't give plain water in an IV, because the low osmolarity will make the blood cells burst!)

 

[cbm32]

In the world of athletics it is well known that plain water (whether tap or bottled) is not nearly as effective in preventing dehydration as a drink that contains electrolytes. We have our athletes start with the fruit juice of their choice (although one that contains some magnesium and potassium are preferable) and then dilute with water and add salt in whatever amounts produce a drink that suits their taste.

The appealing taste promotes higher consumption, and this combination provides natural sugars for energy as well as the electrolytes that assure better hydration than plain water alone.

 

[tracydr]

I generally drink mostly plain,reverse osmosis or mineral water when diving or exercising. However, if its going to be very hot, I always bring a can of coconut water along to help replace electrolytes, along with something salty,as TSandM has mentioned.
I also take an extra magnesium capsule on days that I'm out in the sun, along with plenty of fruit. I've had heat exhaustion several times( twice it was severe), I've found that the magnesium seems to help me recover better. If you are low on magnesium it can cause you to have difficulty replacing potassium. I've actually seen quite a few people in the ER with dehydration and low magnesium levels, which makes me believe its a fairly common problem.
Since I take magnesium for migraines anyway, I always have some in my medicine cabinet.
I also enjoy kombucha when its very hot. I'm not sure if the live probiotics are helpful but the taste is tangy and very thirst quenching.