Lower values of hardness, TDS and conductance than the prescribed limits of the WHO
showed that water was deficient in essential minerals. Minerals like magnesium,
potassium, calcium and fluoride were present in some cases in such a low concentration
that water seemed to be as good as distilled water. According to Dr John Sorenson, a
leading authority on mineral metabolism: ‘‘Minerals in drinking water are more easily and
better absorbed than minerals in food’’. Creating a ‘‘healthy water’’ means removing the
harmful agents but keeping the beneficial minerals in drinking water, the body will extract
the minerals from somewhere in the body itself to satisfy its needs leading to mineral
deficiency diseases. Thus if any of the mineral deficient brands of water are consumed for
long periods of time, it can leach out valuable body minerals such as potassium,
magnesium, sodium and calcium (Forum 1995). To avoid this, the consumers of bottled
water must take mineral supplements in order to satisfy their body’s requirements. Owing
96 R. K. Mahajan et al.
to the reduced mineral content, instead of ‘‘Mineral Water’’, these waters should be
branded as ‘‘De-mineralized Water’’