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There are still many myths surrounding the question of whether distilled water is really safe to drink. We reveal whether distilled water really causes cells to burst and what the consequences of drinking it are.
Can you drink distilled water?
Whether from their chemistry teacher or their parents, every child has probably heard the warning about distilled water at some point.
- The seemingly most intelligent reason for the ban on drinking it is the alleged bursting of cells in the stomach.
- In theory, this makes perfect sense. Distilled water contains neither electrolytes nor minerals or trace elements. If we drink distilled water, the cells are supposed to burst through osmosis.
- Osmosis occurs when there are significantly more particles such as sugar and salts inside the cells than outside the cell. The cell wants to compensate for the imbalance and absorbs water from its surroundings. If the stomach is full of distilled water, the imbalance is so great that the cell absorbs water until it bursts. If this happens to a large number of cells in the stomach, it leads to stomach bleeding.
All clear: Distilled water is safe to drink
What sounds extremely dangerous in theory is hardly dangerous in practice.
- The stomach contains numerous minerals that mix with the distilled water. In its pure form, distilled water would not come into contact with the cells in the stomach at all.
- Nevertheless, you should not drink distilled water regularly. In the long term, the cells would lose minerals, which could lead to numerous health problems.
