A healthy body needs water to function properly, so it is important to keep hydrated throughout the day. One of the most popular types of water to drink is spring water, but is it actually healthy?
Spring water is known for its natural pH level and mineral contents. As spring water comes straight from nature, drinking it is healthy and safe as long as the water source is not contaminated. Always get your spring water from trusted sources, if not have it tested for purity and safety.
This article explains everything about spring water, its health benefits, its potential harm, and its effects on your skin and hair.
What is Spring Water?
Spring water is also known as raw water, well water, and artesian water, though there are notable distinctions. “Spring water is any water that comes from an underground aquifer and is collected as it naturally flows to the surface or through a borehole,” according to the EPA.
Spring water from safe and dependable sources has the richest mineral profile from any type of water, and should not be mistaken with products like glacier water or mountain water. Like for example in the context of food. The term “natural” does not carry the same weight as organic. Natural foods often contain pesticides, GM components, and high fructose corn syrup.
While the sources of spring water, well water, artesian water, and raw water differ, all of them supply more essential nutrients and minerals including potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium.
Takeaway: As spring water passes through underground rocks the minerals are dissolved making it alkaline (although not always), and full of minerals.
Is Spring Water Healthy to Drink?
Spring water is healthy to drink!
However, like with all types of drinking water, what’s in the water source is key. Authentic spring water comes from a natural, mountain, or artesian source. It is crystal clear when properly collected by reputable bottling companies with the appropriate equipment.
Spring water safety is also something to be considered. Local authorities should certify the safety of any natural drinking water sources. Never drink natural spring water without checking it beforehand. Do not let your primal urges win over and drink from a stream while on a hike in the wilderness. It is dangerous!
Health Benefits of Spring Water
Drinking natural spring water allows the body to be in harmony. The body is at its best when hydrated with natural spring water that has a perfect pH balance. It’s time to uncover the benefits spring water can provide.
1. It hydrates
Water makes up roughly 60% of most people’s weight. It assists in nutrient absorption and synthesis. Water plays a role in almost all of the body’s functions. Our bodies require a specific amount of water daily to work properly; the minimum is one liter.
2. loaded with natural nutrients and minerals
To truly appreciate spring water’s benefits, one must comprehend its “genetic make-up.” Spring water travels through layers of rock, which filters the water and also provides its mineral composition and distinct flavor (all spring water differs in taste). Depending on the source, spring water often has high potassium, sodium, magnesium, and/or calcium contents compared to other types of water.
Significance of spring water minerals:
- Magnesium
Magnesium is found in our bones around 50% of the body. The other half is mostly found inside cell tissues and organs. Magnesium is required in over 300 metabolic processes. It supports a healthy immune system, muscle, bone strength, and neural function.
- Calcium
About 2% of an adult’s weight is calcium. Large amounts are in the skeleton and teeth; the rest is in the tissues or blood. Calcium is essential for strong teeth and bones, as well as healthy nerves and muscular tissue. A 2017 study concluded that spring water provides a calorie-free source of higher bioavailable calcium that can boost the body’s calcium supply.
- Potassium
Potassium is necessary for normal blood pressure, heart, bone, and muscle function. However, many people in the U.S. are already lacking in potassium. Most Americans do not get the recommended 4.7 grams of potassium per day. Bananas and potatoes are high potassium foods that everyone can use.
- Sodium
Sodium is an electrolyte that regulates fluids and blood pressure. It binds to water in the body and retains it.
3. balances pH levels
The ideal pH level for your body is 7, which is neutral. Soda and energy drinks can lower your pH, making your body more acidic. Drinking spring water helps balance your pH levels. This also helps balance other physiological systems.
4. helps stop sugar and salt craving
Many reasons exist for craving salt or sugar. The issue with both is that excessive consumption is harmful to the body. A diet heavy in sugar can contribute to unwanted weight gain and insulin resistance. Though spring water isn’t a magic solution, it can help decrease salt and sugar cravings especially when you are dehydrated.
Even though spring water is healthy, too much of a good thing is bad. Too much water may induce electrolyte imbalances in the blood, leading to undesirable effects like heart arrhythmias and even death.
Is Spring Water Harmful?
No two spring waters are alike.
Water that comes from glaciers, for example, can contain talc, giardia, and other parasites and should not be consumed.
Rainwater can even pollute spring water as it falls on mountains near polluted cities or factories. The polluted rainwater recharges the aquifer, but can also pollute the spring.
Drinking raw water from a well is not advised if you live near populous rural areas without testing and/or purifying it first. Several dangerous compounds like pesticides, chemical waste, etc. have been detected in groundwater, rivers, and lakes.
Some towns have a local spring where residents can collect water for drinking, cooking, and other uses. Springs form when subsurface water emerges at or near the surface. The water may appear pure and clear, but it may not be. It is often unknown where the water comes from or how it got there. A spring above ground may carry animal feces or chemicals in the water.
That’s why it is important to make sure that the spring water you drink comes from safe and reliable sources.
Can You Get Sick From Spring Water?
You can get sick from drinking Spring water. The logic is that any kind of water when contaminated can make you sick! It doesn’t matter if it’s spring water, tap water, mineral water, or water from a volcano!
Some spring water may contain chemicals, bacteria, parasites, and viruses by the time it reaches a collection point. It may cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea which are signs of waterborne diseases (Cryptosporidium, Giardia, or E. coli).
Contaminated spring water may carry toxins that prompt kidney and liver damage, nervous system disorders, and birth defects. Drinking it can have serious health consequences for infants, children, the elderly, and anyone with compromised immune systems.
Skin
To keep healthy and hydrated, you need to drink enough water daily. Aside from aiding digestion, weight loss, and temperature regulation, drinking bottled spring water offers several benefits for maintaining healthy skin:
1. Helps release toxins.
This may come as a shock to many, but our skin breathes and absorbs toxins like foreign estrogens (xenoestrogens) every day, just like we do. A steady flow of water through the body is required to adequately flush these toxins out, otherwise, they pile up and try to escape through the pores. This can exacerbate skin problems like acne.
2. Provides nutrients.
Drinking enough water every day to rehydrate and nourish the skin is advised, but you should be cautious about where you acquire your water from. The composition of tap water is uneven, with unwanted minerals and fluoride; it may be better to opt for a fresh supply of spring water if you have any concerns about what you are getting in regular tap water.
3. Prevents premature aging.
Skin inflammation is caused by the environment, physical and mental stress, and of course, what you eat and drink. Skin that is dehydrated and malnourished is prone to drying out or becoming irritated, causing premature aging. To counteract this, eat a nutritious diet and drink lots of water (or spring water) to replenish your skin.
Is Spring Water Good for Your Hair?
Generally speaking, consumption of enough water promotes hair growth. Heal your scalp and avoid split ends and damaged hair. A healthy circulatory system delivers vital nutrients to your follicles, stimulating hair growth. Water also activates the nerve endings and sensors in the hair roots, increasing the hair’s natural vitality.
You can also rinse spring water through your hair!
A 2017 study (ref 1) suggested that washing your hair with mineral spring water might help in both growing hair and controlling hair fall. And there have been some reports and personal experiments done regarding its ability to restore the shine of one’s hair.
The only con is the cost of buying spring water -unless you can get it for free by living near a spring water source.
Now you know that the path to wonderfully shining hair is laid not with straighteners, blow dryers, or must-have glossing ingredients, but simply with quality, clean water. Not from a waterfall, but from spring water!
Conclusion
Without a doubt, spring water’s biggest benefit is the absence of added chemicals!
Spring water contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium, and many other minerals. They are not only found, but 100% naturally present, in the composition of spring water.
Aside from the benefits of spring water please pay attention to its safety too. No matter how nutrient-dense spring water is, if it comes from a contaminated or untreated source, better forget that you’re thirsty!
Drink water responsibly!
References
1. Begum, R., Ara, J., Ahmed, M.F., Bajgai, J., Fadriquela, A. and Lee, K.J., 2017. Hair Growth Promoting Effects of Mineral-rich Spring Water in SKH-1 Hairless Mice. 한국물학회지 Vol, 6(1).
