What Is Hard Water?
23.07.19 Nik Tokovic 2 Minute Read
Many different studies have been carried out on the benefits of a diet that is rich in dietary Magnesium. Of particular interest are several large population studies carried out on "hard" water areas (hard water is water that has higher levels of naturally occurring calcium & Magnesium). These studies demonstrated that where hard water was the primary drinking source that populations seemed to enjoy in lower incidence and/or severity of a number of diseases. This was particularly the case with water rich in Magnesium.
Of statistical importance were several studies involving hundreds of thousands of people where the consumption of hard water was associated with a lower mortality rate for cardiovascular disease (CVD) (5) (7). In a May 2000 a Taiwanese case controlled study where 682 prostate cancer deaths were compared with 682 deaths from other causes. Magnesium and calcium levels in water from a number of different municipalities were investigated. The conclusion of the study showed that there may well be a significant protective effect from Magnesium intake from hard water (1).
More recently a number studies and clinical trials have been carried out on the all-important role that Magnesium plays in maintaining wellbeing and overall health. Low levels of magnesium have been associated with a number of chronic diseases including Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular accident (stroke), hypertension and cardiovascular disease (10). Studies have also demonstrated the role of Magnesium in the pathogenesis of migraine headache, and it has been established that more than 50% of migraine sufferers have lowered ionised Magnesium levels during an acute migraine attack. Two double blind clinical trials suggest that oral supplementation of Magnesium may reduce the frequency of such attacks (3).
Due to Magnesium’s essential role in energy metabolism there is a growing body of evidence that many metabolic disorders are associated with a low Magnesium intake. A 2011 study showed that diets with higher amounts of magnesium are associated with a significantly lower risk of developing type II diabetes (9), likely because of the important role of magnesium in glucose metabolism.
The idea that “Hard” water offered safeguards against a range of diseases including cardiovascular disease is not new and has been around for over 50 years. This idea has great support from countless studies that show a lower risk associated for populations living in "Hard" water areas versus populations lining in soft water areas. In January 2008 a World Health Organisation (WHO) delegation of experts and water industry insiders came together in Geneva Switzerland to discuss exactly this, and the possibility of member nations legislating that all city water have a viable minimum quantity of Magnesium and calcium. It would appear that water industry representatives were less concerned with the health benefits and more concerned about the cost.
Edge Electrolytes is an excellent mineral complex sourced from pure Ocean water from the Southern hemisphere in Australia. With 150mg Magnesium in every serving it is one of natures richest sources of Magnesium.
References
- Calcium and magnesium in drinking water and risk of death from prostate cancer. Yang CY, Chiu HF, Tsai SS, Cheng MF, Lin MC, Sung FC. School of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University
- Oral magnesium supplementation improves insulin sensitivity and metabolic control in type 2 diabetic subjects: a randomized double-blind controlled trial. Rodríguez-Morán M, Guerrero-Romero F.
- Role of magnesium in the pathogenesis and treatment of migraines. Mauskop A, Altura BM. NY Headache Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.
- Rude RK. Magnesium. In: Coates PM, Betz JM, Blackman MR, Cragg GM, Levine M, Moss J, White JD, eds. Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Informa Healthcare; 2010:527-37
- Cardiovascular Health: Hard Data for Hard Water Environ Health Perspect. 2008 March; 116(3): A114.
- Comparison of the Mineral Content of Tap Water and Bottled Water Arik Azoulay, MSc, BComm, Philippe Garzon, BSc, and Mark J Eisenberg, MD, MPH
- Drinking water hardness and chronic degenerative diseases. II. Cardiovascular diseases. Cattedra di Igiene, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Monarca S, Zerbini I, Simonati C, Gelatti U.
- Magnesium intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis. Larsson SC, Wolk A. Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
- The role of magnesium in type 2 diabetes: a brief based-clinical review. Biomedical Research Unit, Mexican Social Security Institute, Predio Canoas 100, Col. Los Angeles, 34067 Durango, Dgo Mexico. Rodríguez-Morán M, Simental Mendía LE, Zambrano Galván G, Guerrero-Romero F.
- Magnesium in disease prevention and overall health. Volpe SL Department of Nutrition Sciences, Center for Integrated Nutrition & Performance College of Nursing and Health Professions Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Fine KD, Santa Ana CA, Porter JL, Fordtran JS. Intestinal absorption of magnesium from food and supplements. J Clin Invest 1991;88:396-402.
- Institute of Medicine (IOM). Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D and Fluoride . Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997.
- Rude RK. Magnesium. In: Coates PM, Betz JM, Blackman MR, Cragg GM, Levine M, Moss J, White JD, eds. Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Informa Healthcare; 2010:527-37.
- Rude RK. Magnesium. In: Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, Tucker KL, Ziegler TR, eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 11th ed. Baltimore, Mass: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2012:159-75.
- Moshfegh A, Goldman J, Ahuja J, Rhodes D, LaComb R. 2009. What We Eat in America, NHANES 2005-2006: Usual Nutrient Intakes from Food and Water Compared to 1997 Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D, Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium. U.S. Department of Agriculture,
About The Author
Nik Tokovic is the founder and CEO of Edge Electrolytes.
