Demineralised water that has not been remineralized, or low-mineral content water – in the
light of the absence or substantial lack of essential minerals in it – is not considered ideal drinking
water, and therefore, its regular consumption may not be providing adequate levels of some
beneficial nutrients. This chapter provides a rationale for this conclusion. The evidence in terms
of experimental effects and findings in human volunteers related to highly demineralised water is
mostly found in older studies, some of which may not meet current methodological criteria.
However, these findings and conclusions should not be dismissed. Some of these studies were
unique, and the intervention studies, although undirected, would hardly be scientifically,
financially, or ethically feasible to the same extent today. The methods, however, are not so
questionable as to necessarily invalidate their results. The older animal and clinical studies on
health risks from drinking demineralised or low-mineral water yielded consistent results both with
each other, and recent research has tended to be supportive